You might say Gem Gossip’s Danielle Miele has a thing for opals.
“Opal has always been my favorite gemstone, for so many reasons,” says the jewelry blogger and gemologist. “The beauty of the stone, all the colors, its origin and how it’s formed (so fascinating). I just love how there’s really no two exactly alike. Opals being October’s birthstone has also been very significant to me: My husband’s birthday is in October, our wedding anniversary is in October, and now our rainbow baby is due in October.”
Parlé Gems, a company with origins mining Idaho opal in 1973, is the perfect match for Miele. It’s a partnership so nice, in fact, they’ve done it thrice.
In honor of their third collaboration, Gem Gossip and Parlé Gems are releasing three mini collections—the first of which dropped Thursday.
For each collection, Miele selected opals from Parlé Gems during the 2022 Tucson Gem Show. The designs had already been completed, so choosing and matching the stones was the final step.
The @shopgemgossip Instagram account, Gem Gossip’s jewelry sales arm, is the locale for the collection drops.
A collection of celestial-inspired charms (shown at top) was the first to be offered, inspired by Miele’s own love for all things moon and stars. With an assortment of dark and light Boulder opals topped with diamond-set six- point stars, each of the charms is unique in its own way thanks to the choice of opals they glitter with.
The second collection, which drops Friday, features four opal rings inspired by a piece Miele once owned early in her career—but sold. “I wanted to bring it back to life by giving it my own spin, but keeping the core design intact,” wrote Miele on Gem Gossip. The rings feature two pear-shape Australian opals that complement one another in matching body color, though not too matchy. If all four of the rings sell, Miele says custom pieces can be created.
Lastly, a collection of sentimental family pendants is set to make its debut on Saturday. Inspired by a vintage piece from Miele’s personal collection, the pendants have a vertical row of opals in varying numbers: Groups of two, three, and four opals are available at launch, but a custom style can be made to represent a buyer’s family, if desired. “The mini collection that launches on Saturday was intended to be sentimental and represent the number of people or children in your family,” says Miele. “Ever since having my son three years ago, I’ve been super sentimental with my jewelry purchases, always seeking out pieces that mean something more than just a pretty jewel. So that collection, with its symbolism, might be my favorite.”
Look for the launch of the second collection Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET, and the final collection at the same time on Saturday on @shopgemgossip.
Top: Celestial opal charms comprise the first of three collections from the latest collab by Gem Gossip and Parlé Gems (all photos courtesy Danielle Miele)
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