opal

Opal Hat Could Be The Most Valuable Hat Ever Auctioned Off

I've never seen a hat quite like it. The piece above is titled the "Deep Blue Sea" and was created by Australian master milliner Ann Maree Willett and opal miners Vicki and Peter Drackett to showcase opals mined at Australia's famous Lightning Ridge. The hat will be sold at the "Nature of Opals" sale at Bonhams & Butterfields, San Francisco on November 10. The hat is formed from hand-blocked Australian felt, decorated with bright feathers and carrying 26 opals weighing approximately 1,447 carats. The opals were carved into beautiful microsculptures by Daniela L'Abbate and Christine Roussel and placed in sterling silver and 18-karat gold settings by master goldsmith Gerd Gerold Schulz. It is estimated at between $150,000 and $200,000 which would place it among the most expensive hats ever sold at auction. The world's most expensive hat is the Chapeau d'Amour-the "hat of love"-created by designer Louis Mariette. It is made of woven platinum and covered in diamonds and has a value of $2.7 million.

The sale also includes a wide variety of the types of opals available from brown boulder opals shot through with blue flashes, to orangy fire opals and plenty of white opals showing bright rainbow fire. Many lots are intricately carved and some are opalized fossils of flora and fauna. Before the November 10 auction, Bonhams & Butterfields will hold highlight presentations in Los Angeles October 1-3 and New York October 16-18, followed by a full preview in San Francisco from November 6-9.

[via National Jeweler]

Tags: bonhams, bonhams and butterfields, Bonhams auction, Bonhams Butterfields, BonhamsButterfields, hat, milliner, millinery, opal, opals

Lucifer Vir Honestus Green Opal Earrings

by Marsha Reid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Lucifer Vir Honestus Green Opal Earrings are absolutely heavenly. The color is sharp and bold yet it possesses a softness that gives it a dreamlike fairytale quality. These dazzling drop earrings remind me of the ones that Angelina Jolie wore at the 2009 Oscars. And although they are much smaller in size and made of opal rather than emeralds - they are just as captivating. These beauties would look best with your hair pulled back and a dark top to really showcase its striking color. Priced at $2,720 and measuring at 1 ½" in length, they are set in 18K rose gold with diamonds scattered about.

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Tags: drop earrings, earrings, jewelry, Lucifer Vir Honestus, LuciferVirHonestus, opal