Featured Opal Brooch?

Charity shop buy for £1. Did 1950s/60s base metal brooches have real opals set in them? Brooch is 60mm long, the ‘opal’ is 16mm long and 10mm wide. I’m not used to handling them, the opal isn’t as cold as stone but still cold. Doesn’t feel like plastic on my teeth. No hallmarks, the pin area sticks to a magnet though the main brooch metal doesn’t but I think it’s all base metal. Any info please? Thank you.

 

It looks like a genuine opal to me, and a beauty too. It also looks like the prongs of the mount originally held a smaller stone. Someone could have replaced it.

 

I think you are correct AJ. Looking again underneath the opal there are prongs but they are too short to hold the stone at the ends. Only ever found a small triplet before so I’m very pleased with my find.

 

The opal is good quality, really beautiful, you are right to be pleased.

 

Looks like the opal has a fat belly and part of one end was broken off.

 

Yes, on the last photo you can see that two prongs are bent flat. It would be safer to have the stone put in a different piece of jewellery.

I agree, there is a chip off the bottom of one end. Could have happened when an amateur put the opal on this brooch, but we don't know for sure.

 

I had read somewhere they do break easily hence their reputation of being bad luck. Think this could be made into a pendant, bit long for a ring for my short ish fingers.

 

Sounds like a good solution, and something you would enjoy wearing.

 

Thanks, so nice to find this because I love watching Aussie opal hunters on TV and the hard job they have to find a seam or a little gleam of colour.

 

Rings are the worst place to put any stone. Opal only gets its fire from internal fractures, some even have water in them. If you would wear it, a pendant is better. Wonder if someone didn't have the stone, then went looking for an inexpensive piece they could cram it into after removing the glass.

 

Good spot!

 

Very pretty.

 

Many 50s and 60s costume makers used semi precious and even precious stones. Kordes and Lichtenfeld, Sphinx et al.