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LAB OPAL RINGS & JEWELRY

HILEMAN SILVER JEWELRY

PHOENIX, ARIZONA

Writer's pictureJohn Hileman

Examples of lab created opal rough color options.  Ready to be cut and made into lab opal rings!
Our newest lab created opal color options!

We are continually searching for new color options for our lab opal rings and jewelry. It's always difficult when ordering opal from small samples shown on a company's website to know for certain what the actual rough lab opal we receive will look like. Waiting for the shipment to arrive is like the anticipation of waiting to open gifts on Christmas morning. And just like with Christmas, sometimes you are super excited about the gift you open and other times you can't wait to exchange it. Our mission on this last order was to find a couple of bold and unique color options and one that was going to be a good match to blue-green color we commonly find in top quality Australian opal. We actually got lucky on this order and were three for three - scoring an excellent match for blue-green Australian opal and two really unique colors that will make our lab opal jewelry stand out from the crowd.


We have already started cutting 2 of the 3 pieces of rough opal. The interesting looking opal slab (shown in the middle in the photo above)

Man's lab opal ring featuring lab created black opal inlaid in sterling silver.
Man's lab opal ring featuring black lab opal.

has a deep green base color and fires light green, blue, red, orange and gold. It mimics the colors and fire in some of the best Australian black opal at a fraction of the price. We chose to try it first in a medium width man's band design so it has room to really show off the flashes of amazing color. Because this opal has so many different colors firing and flashing it would look great in any of our ring designs paired with colorful center gemstones such as orange topaz, rubies, emeralds or sapphires.  You can check out this new ring in our Men's Lab Opal Ring Collection



Our next project was slicing up some of the blue-green lab opal slab for a fairly narrow woman's band. This opal has a fairly "tight" fire so it was a good candidate for a narrow width band. The opal has bright blue and green flashes with a medium blue base color. It's resemblance to top quality Australian crystal opal is remarkable. We were so impressed with the first ring that we immediately went to work on a topaz and opal engagement ring to match the wedding band.  Check out the images of the new lab opal rings below!  We are pretty impressed with this new lab opal option and expect it to be a popular choice for both women's and men's rings.  What do you think?   

We have been busy filling orders and have not had a chance to get to the third new lab opal slab but hope to fire up the saw very soon. We will post an update with photos as soon as we have a new ring finished with the blue-red opal. You can also visit our Lab Opal Color Options page to see all of our lab created opal options. Keep in mind that we can inlay any of the opal colors you see on our site in any of the designs you see. Every ring design can be customized with your favorite opal color, center gemstone and metal choice. We would love to talk with you about creating your ideal ring, so don't hesitate to email or call us at (623) 518-6588!




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Writer's pictureJohn Hileman

Updated: Jan 14, 2019



Unfortunately, if you love your lab opal ring and wear it often, you are bound to bump it or scratch it on something hard enough to damage the lab created opal at some point. There is no need to stress about how or where to get your precious ring repaired. We are lab opal ring repair experts and can repair most lab created opal inlay rings, earrings, pendants and bracelets. We have over 45 years of inlay experience and many years of experience working with lab created opal. We specialize in inlay repair, so we won't be able to help you with any repairs on your opal cabochon rings or jewelry. We have many lab opal colors available and will most likely be able to match your opal ring's colors and pattern and return your ring to "like new" condition.


If you are reading this and your lab opal inlay ring already has some damaged opal and is in need of repair, stop wearing it. It is important to put the damaged ring away until your can ship it to us for repair. A cracked, chipped or missing piece of opal can allow water, lotions or chemicals to seep under the opal and cause the epoxy to become damaged and ruin the bond between the mounting and the stone. This could cause expensive repairs if the epoxy can't securely hold the inlay in place and all of the pieces need to replaced after falling out.

To get your lab opal ring repair started, just email us a clear photo of your ring and we will give you an estimate for the repairs. You can read more details about the repair process on our Lab Opal Ring Repair page.


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Writer's pictureJohn Hileman

Updated: Feb 5, 2019



Blue Lab Opal Wedding Band in Sterling Silver

Here is a nice addition to our men's lab opal ring collection. This ring would be a great choice for a man's wedding band. At just over 6mm wide, it's the perfect width to feel substantial but not uncomfortably wide or bulky. The inlay channel is wide enough to give the lab opal room to show off its remarkable flashes of color without being overly showy. We do have some wide opal bands if you are bold enough to wear more color! The lab created opal has a deep blue base color with flashes of greens and bright blues. The inlay channel goes about halfway around the ring, giving the appearance the ring is inlaid all the way around. We have chosen to place thin silver dividers between the opal sections but we can make the ring for you without the dividers if you prefer that the opals look like they are one continuous piece. The ring is shown in sterling silver but would also look great in 316L stainless steel, white or yellow gold and platinum. These metals are upgrades so we will need your ring size to give you an accurate price quote for optional metals. We also offer a tarnish resistant sterling silver option (Continuum Silver) for $25 if you are looking for an affordable option to increase the durability of the silver and fight tarnishing.


Our lab opal rings are easily customized so if you would like a different color lab

created opal or metal than what is shown, just let us know. All of our rings are handcrafted in our jewelry studio in Phoenix, Arizona. We focus on quality over quantity and our customer service is second to none. You can find more information about this great new man's lab opal ring in the men's ring section of our site or you are welcome to give us a call with questions or to order at (623) 518-6588.

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Questions? Call us at (623) 518-6588

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