Opal in Southwest Jewelry: The Newest Stone on the Bench

Opal in Southwest Jewelry: The Newest Stone on the Bench

Opal is the most recent arrival in this guide, and the record dates it closely: starting in the mid- to late 1990s, Native jewelers began experimenting with iridescent opal tones for inlay as a contemporary accent[1]. That is a stone entering a tradition inside living memory. It is hydrated silicon dioxide, semi-transparent, and it is prized for one property no other stone here possesses — a prismatic color range that shifts as the piece moves[1]. Turquoise holds its color. Coral holds its color. Opal refuses to.

Gold Drop Earrings with Opal Inlay — opal jewelry example
The accent stone: Gold Drop Earrings with Opal Inlay. From the T.Skies gallery.
Natural Opal and 14K Gold Beads Necklace — opal jewelry example
Opal in the current collection: Natural Opal and 14K Gold Beads Necklace. From the T.Skies gallery.
18k Gold Opal Ring — opal jewelry example
Opal in gold: 18k Gold Opal Ring. From the T.Skies gallery.

Opal in the Masters' Hands

Opal arrives with the inlay artists, and it is almost always an accent rather than a field. A bola tie in silver from about 1998 by Tom Baldwin (Navajo), now at the Heard Museum, sets sugilite, turquoise and opal together[2] — the opal doing the work of a highlight against two opaque, saturated stones. Duane Maktima, who took a metalsmithing degree at Northern Arizona University and established his practice on a SWAIA fellowship, works a wide range of richly colored inlay materials "from coral to opal," giving many pieces a sculptural quality through hollow-form casting and reticulation[3]. Loretto sets Brazilian opal alongside fine grades of turquoise, and taught jewelry-making at the Institute of American Indian Arts[4]. Gress works opal with lapis and sugilite against sky-blue turquoise[5].

Read that roster and you have the argument: opal belongs to the art-school-trained, gold-and-silver, inlay-forward generation. It is a design choice, not an inheritance.

Reading Opal

The one thing you must ask about an opal is whether it grew. Since the 1980s, synthetic opals have been developed and widely disseminated, and the reference literature is candid that they are difficult to distinguish from the genuine article[1]. That is not a hedge we are adding; it is the field's own assessment. Opals are also commonly faceted and oiled or resin-impregnated[1]. None of that is fraud, and all of it should be disclosed. If a seller cannot tell you whether an opal is natural, synthetic, or treated, the honest reading is that they do not know.

There is a related term worth separating. Matrix — the contrasting host rock found in a gem such as turquoise or opal, appearing as flecks, spots, or the fine tracery called spiderweb — is a prized design element, not a flaw[6]. Matrix in an opal is evidence it came out of the ground.

Practical care: opal carries water in its structure. Keep it away from heat, dry air and ultrasonic cleaners, and store it away from harder stones. It is the most fragile material on this page.

A note on accuracy. We strive for accuracy, and this page is continuously updated with new information from the artists, their families, and the community. Corrections welcome.

Sources

  1. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry, p. 177
  2. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry, p. 66
  3. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry, p. 154
  4. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry, p. 152
  5. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry, p. 113
  6. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry, p. 157

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