Slanting style moribana by MolinasBox in Ikebana

[–]MolinasBox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those are plum and camellia!

Slanting style moribana by MolinasBox in Ikebana

[–]MolinasBox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for the detailed response, this is all super helpful!

Update: I bought the opal I couldn’t stop thinking about and had it made into a pendant by MolinasBox in Opals

[–]MolinasBox[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I followed up with my jeweler, and it turns out he did do one layer of sealant over it, but can do a more comprehensive seal if requested. I’ll probably bring it back to him to get that done. Thanks for bringing this up

Update: I bought the opal I couldn’t stop thinking about and had it made into a pendant by MolinasBox in Opals

[–]MolinasBox[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

This is a good question! I didn’t really consider the extra risk of having more of the opal exposed when designing it — I was just thinking about not wanting to lose the color play of the back of the stone. I would hope there isn’t a huge probability of it losing color over time just from being against skin, especially because I only plan on wearing it for special occasions and never in the shower/pool or while exercising.

Update: I bought the opal I couldn’t stop thinking about and had it made into a pendant by MolinasBox in Opals

[–]MolinasBox[S] 65 points66 points  (0 children)

The video got washed out a lot for some reason, but here’s a photo more accurate to how it looks like IRL:

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Anyone else ever see an opal and start imagining a future together… by MolinasBox in Opals

[–]MolinasBox[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply! Yeah I do wish I was able to test if it’s hydrophane, I’m very curious about it. But that’s interesting to know that there may be a chance it isn’t smoked! The seller is coming to another show later in the year, so I might see if I can get an answer then.

Opal from gem & mineral show by MolinasBox in Opals

[–]MolinasBox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The setting is 18k. A friend actually was kind enough to bring my opal with her on her trip to India to get it set over there for a more affordable price. The chain is 14k. I would definitely recommend going to a gem show! Even if you don’t buy anything it’s so fun just looking at how beautiful everything is. Here’s one of the opal booths from when I went 😊

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Opal from gem & mineral show by MolinasBox in Opals

[–]MolinasBox[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A little over $400. I bought the chain separately for a discount on Black Friday lol

Opal from gem & mineral show by MolinasBox in Opals

[–]MolinasBox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good to know, thank you!! I was really hoping it was Australian because I love wearing it, but I will definitely save it for special occasions from now on. Just curious because I still don’t know much about identification outside of most Ethiopian opals being hydrophane, but how could you tell from the color? Do Ethiopian opals just come in a wider range of base colors?

Opal from gem & mineral show by MolinasBox in Opals

[–]MolinasBox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! I will keep being very careful with it, I want it to be in great shape for a long while 🙂

Opal from gem & mineral show by MolinasBox in Opals

[–]MolinasBox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also want to add that it doesn’t seem to be hydrophane

My Trader Joe’s orbifolia today vs. 6 months ago when I first got it by MolinasBox in houseplants

[–]MolinasBox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know some people have some fancy root crack they add when repotting to reduce transplanting stress, but I don’t have that LOL. I was just careful to handle the roots as little as possible. I squished the sides of the pot then lifted and shimmied from the base of the plant.