Jewelry Item of the Week: Australian Opal and Sugilite Pendant

This Week’s Item:  Australian Opal and Sugilite Inlay Pendant

Australian opal and sugilite sterling silver inlay pendant

This week’s item is a large sterling silver pendant inlaid with Australian opal and purple sugilite.   The top piece of inlaid Australian opal fires blues and greens and the other pieces of opal fire red, green, blue orange and yellow.  The sugilite is a deep purple and is very high quality with an excellent polish.  The lower areas of the silver have been oxidized black to accentuate the highly polished details.  The pendant measures 34mm wide and is 63mm long including the hinged bale.  The bale will accomodate most chains and smaller diameter beads.  The pendant is stamped sterling and hand signed “MMH” on the reverse by Mark McBride Hileman.  This style pendant is also available by special order in other inlay colors and without the silver oxidized.    This beautiful piece is currently available at our Etsy shop.  Please go to  http://www.etsy.com/listing/28587677/large-sterling-silver-pendant-inlaid  for more information or to purchase this piece.

Don’t forget to enter the coupon code to get your 10% off discount at check out.

10% off coupon code:  WEEKLYSALE081511

Visit our websites to see all of our handmade jewelry designs in 14k gold and sterling silver.  Keep in mind that if you don’t see exactly what you are looking for, we do custom jewelry work as well.

www.TheHilemanCollection.com

www.HilemanSilverJewelry.com

Thank you!

John and Mark Hileman

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Australian opal inlay jewelry is our specialty!

We spend a lot time and effort promoting our sterling silver jewelry and sometimes neglect giving our gold jewelry equal time in the spot light.  Actually, it is our incredible Australian opal inlay jewelry designs that the Hileman name is known for in the jewelry industry.   Hileman jewelry is recognized for the unsurpassed quality of the Australian opal and the superior craftsmanship used in creating our bold inlay jewelry designs.  Our opal inlay jewelry can be found in the jewelry boxes of celebrities, CEO’s and opal jewelry collectors around the world.

This remarkable opal pendant is a great example of our top of the line opal and outstanding workmanship.  This handmade pendant is inlaid with the finest crystal opal Australia has to offer. The pendant’s opal inlay alternates between bright blue green opal sections and red multicolor sections of opal. Opal of this quality is quite rare and is becoming harder to obtain at any price, making this pendant a real collector’s piece. The center stone is a spectacular 13.25 carat shell fantasy cut Swiss blue topaz. The faceting on the topaz is very unique. The top is slightly domed with only one facet with the bottom has all the facets and notches to create the pattern viewed from the top. The opal inlay and topaz are accented by 28 pave` set diamonds. The diamonds are VS clarity and G/H color and have a total weight of .60 carats.

Take a closer look at this amazing opal pendant at http://www.etsy.com/listing/58803270/australian-opal-inlay-pendant-with-topaz or visit our opal jewelry website at TheHilemanCollection.com .

Thank you for supporting handmade jewelry artists!

Gilson created opal makes for a stunning pendant

Sterling silver pendant inlaid with Gilson created opal and onyx

Last week we were trying to decide what inlay materials to use to create a unique contemporary pendant for a special customer.  After some thought Mark decided to break out some Gilson created opal that he purchased thirty years ago and had only used a few times since then.  The result was a very striking pendant with Gilson opal so bright you would think that there had to be a bulb in it.  Because Australian opal inlay is our specialty, we rarely use man-made opal.  In this case, natural opal of this quality would be far too costly to inlay in a sterling silver pendant, so Gilson opal was a logical choice.  We were so pleased at how this pendant came out, you might be seeing more pieces with the Gilson created opal inlay in the future.  There are differences in the quality of other lab grown opal and Gilson created opal.  The Gilson created opal was invented by Pierre Gilson of France in 1974 and is considered by many gemologists to be the world’s finest laboratory grown opal. The growth process takes from 14 to 18 months, and the colors are natural with no treatment or enhancements. Its unique properties and brilliance set Gilson opal apart from all other man-made opal. Unlike natural opal which contains 3 to 21% water, Gilson opal contains no water. Gilson created opal is much tougher than natural opal and is not prone to breaking or cracking. 

If you would like more information about this Gilson opal pendant or if you want to order one go to  http://www.shop.hilemansilverjewelry.com/Silver-pendant-inlaid-with-red-Gilson-opal-and-onyx-P400ssGilOpalOnyx.htm

-John Hileman