Oceanid’s Gift : Antique Australian Coober Pedy Opal Ring

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Blue and glittering like the sea surrounding a tropical island. This 9ct old gold solitaire ring features an oval shaped solid Coober Pedy cabochon cut opal in a simple but elegant bezel setting. Made by early Australian jeweller O. Tucker, who traded from Adelaide Arcade, Adelaide from 1889 – 1918. The opal is predominantly blue/teal with electric green highlights.

Opal was “discovered” at Coober Pedy in 1915, which is a remote township in South Australia in extreme arid lands. The traditional owners of the region were the Aboriginal Arabana people, who more than likely knew opal was in the area for thousands of years prior. The name “Coober Pedy” is thought to derive from the Aboriginal term kupa-piti, which means “whitefellas’ hole”. Indeed most of the people to live in Coober Pedy make their homes in ‘dugouts’ (underground houses) to escape the searing temperatures and inhospitable insects.

I’ve gone a little overboard with photos of this ring as she does change her appearance quite remarkably with different lighting conditions. All photographs are taken under natural light, some in the shade and some in direct sunshine.

Manufacture:
The oval shaped opal cabochon measures 13mm x 8mm.
I took it in to be examined by one of the local opal cutters who identified its origin as Coober Pedy. If they are correct we can date this ring to 1915 (the first year of mining at Coober Pedy) – 1918 (the last year O.Tucker traded as a jeweller). It is set in a simple closed back bezel setting.

Knife edge shoulders lead to a 2.2mm wide classic half round band with hallmarks 0.Tucker and 9c clearly legible to the inside of the band.

Sits 5.2mm high on the finger.
Weighs 1.9 grams.

Size O 1/2 or 7.5
resizable.

Condition:
This ring has been well loved in the last 100+ years. I have had the opal professionally resurfaced, and the gold professionally polished, also. There are some dings to the back of the closed back setting which cannot be seen when worn. They are cosmetic faults only, but mentioned for transparency.

Originally the ring was gilded in rose gold, but this has worn away – a small section of the original gilding is present on the underside of the ring.

Ready for immediate and everyday wear – as with all opals please wear with care as opals are soft gemstones.

You can see a short video of this ring on my Instagram feed @secret_histories online here.

Description

Blue and glittering like the sea surrounding a tropical island. This 9ct old gold solitaire ring features an oval shaped solid Coober Pedy cabochon cut opal in a simple but elegant bezel setting. Made by early Australian Jeweller O. Tucker, who traded from Adelaide Arcade from 1889 – 1918.

Knife edge shoulders lead to a 2.2mm wide classic half round band with hallmarks 0.Tucker and 9c clearly legible to the inside of the band.

The opal measures 13mm x 8mm.
Sits 5.2mm high on the finger.
Weighs 1.9 grams.

Size O 1/2 or 7.5
resizable.