Yowah Nut opal takes its name from the town of Yowah in Australia, where it’s mined, as well as from the nut-like shape in which the geodes are found. The town itself is located in the Queensland section of the country, about two hours from Cunnamulla or 600 miles west of Brisbane, according to suppliers. There’s even an annual Yowah Opal Festival—coming up July 18–20—that celebrates the stone and permits visitors to the fields during the busiest time of year.
Not going? Me either, but we can still appreciate the Yowah Nut opal in the form of new finished pieces of jewelry from American vendors. There wasn’t a great deal of the stuff at the Las Vegas shows, but I did notice a few items, including earrings from Couture exhibitor Suneera. Set in 18k gold with diamond and emerald accents to play up the natural beauty of the focal-point Yowahs, at least one pair (below) sold to Broken English in Santa Monica, Calif. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Post of Gem Platinum had another pair in 18k gold surrounded by yellow diamonds.
“I just love the contrast of the bright colors against the brown,” Post says. “This pair was very interesting in that the opal portion—according to some people—reminds them of the Madonna and child.”
A Rorschach test of sorts in earrings? Perhaps. But even if you don’t see that silhouette, you can certainly see that they’re pretty.
Earrings in 18k gold with 20.59 cts. t.w. Yowah opal and 1.82 cts. t.w. fancy-vivid yellow diamonds, $15,000; Gem Platinum
Inana earrings in 18k gold with Yowah Nut opal, 1.53 cts. t.w. diamonds, and 0.24 ct. t.w. emeralds, $16,500; Suneera
Elemental charm necklace in 22k gold with Yowah opal charms ranging in weight from 10.8 cts. to 18.3 cts., and citrine, rubellite, and fish-motif charms (sold separately), $19,685 as shown; Stephanie Albertson
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