Living Color Opals and Intarsia

Brazilian opal, lapis, sleeping beauty turquoise, red jasper, and Turquoise-brass amalgam. This one's going into some 18k gold for sure!

This one has Ethiopian opal, with a new material I just discovered. It is an amalgam of natural turquoise and brass, of all things! Makes a cool stone-metal matrix!

Just finished a bunch of new intarsia, including pendant with fossilized fish surrounded by dinosaur bone. The fossil is recessed slightly to protect it a bit. Nice big bale for a large chain option.

Here is a time lapse movie showing how I make an intarsia. This took me HOURS to put together (in addition to the many hours it took to make the intarsia). I believe this is unique! Click on the "HD" option to get best view.

Finished a ring for a client. REALLY bright bits of opal, and yummy dino bone. 14 k gold and Argentium silver. This is very similar to Sterling in composition, but has a very small amount of germanium. It resists tarnishing. Amazing how a very small change in composition of a metal will change its properties!

OK, calling for a vote here: how many would wear a pair of earrings that were not a matched pair. For example, opal intarsia where the opals in the left and right earrings are similar in size but different shape. Or, the opals are same shape but one is red-ish and the other more green-ish? any strong opinions?

Finally finished this pair of opal intarsia earrings: opal, Gaspeite, Lapis, and luscious dinosaur bone. Thought I'd put it up on Ebay or Etsy and see if I get any nibbles. Anyone notice anything amiss on the back? hahah

Finally got around to working with this KILLER piece of Brazilian opal. Just a simple intarsia to keep the focus on the opal. The red border is gemmy rhodochrosite. This is probably my favorite type of opal. I will set this in 14k gold pendant.

FIST FULL OF INTARSIA! I finished a "batch" of intarsia. Two of these pieces got thrown across the studio from me pushing them a little to hard onto the polishing wheel. They survived!

Just bought this cool looking slab of Noreena Jasper. Can't wait to use it in an intarsia.

Opinions??!! which should I use to go with the cobalto and uvarovite (red and green)???? "1", "2", or "3"??

Example of really fine finished opal!