This beautiful vintage necklace features 41 Peruvian natural pink opal beads on a single strand closed with a sterling silver clasp.
The necklace is 18 inches or 46cm long and has a hook sterling silver closure.
The beads are round in shape and have a stunning soft deep pink colour (known as Angel Skin) that will catch anyone's eye.
The necklace is perfect for beaded jewellery enthusiasts and those who appreciate the beauty of natural gemstones. This piece is a great addition to any collection and can be worn for any occasion.
The beads are 10 to 10.5 mm in diameter
Weight is 52 Grams
Indivually knotted on silk cord, and are highly polished
Very good Vintage condition, as with all genuine gemstones beaded necklaces, there are natural inclusions within the stones and a couple of beads have fissures, see last 2 photos
The reference to Angel Skin applies to both Coral and Pink Opal. See photos
Pink Opal is the national stone of Peru
About Peruvian Pink Opal
Even though pink opal is classed in the group of “common” opals (because it does not show an internal play-of-colour but is of opaque colour), there is nothing common about pink opal. In fact, pink opal is a very rare colour variety of opal only found in the Peruvian desert and actually is only found in a small area of a few hills near Ica, Peru.
Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica; its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but it is usually between 6 and 10%. Because of its amorphous character, it is classed as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms of silica, which are classed as minerals. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock. Opal is softer and more easily chipped than most other popular gemstones. It has a hardness of about 5.5 to 6.0 on the Mohs hardness scale.
Pink opal veins range in thickness from half a centimetre to maximum 6 cm, most commonly at around 1 to 2 cm of thickness. Pink opal ranges in colour from nearly white, through carnation pink, through lilac, with the latter being the rarest and most expensive quality. High-quality pink opal rough stone does sell for up to $2000 USD per kilo and is of course, only used for jewellery