Vintage Brooch With Opal & Diamonds in Gold, ca. 1970

Did you know that jewellery with Australian precious opals has not been around that long? The first European to discover opals in Australia was the German geologist Johannes Menge. He found opals north of Adelaide in 1841 - but little attention was paid to these finds because they were not precious jewellery-quality opals. There is no written record of the first discovery of precious opals until 1872, and commercial mining did not begin until the 1890s in Queensland. Finally, in 1905 further opal fields were discovered in Lightning Ridge, in 1915 in Coober Pedy and in 1930 in Andamooka. This vintage brooch, discovered in the Rhineland, shows an Australian full opal cut into a shimmering cabochon. The stone shows wonderful colour reflections over the milky white base colour, especially in green and red and a little less in blue. The brooch, made of high karat gold, presents the gemstone in its center. The opal is combined with six white diamonds, which enrich the magnificent piece of jewellery with additional light reflections. The fine workmanship allows the special life of the opal to come to the fore.

Estimate:£1,095.76

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