Quest for Opal

Opals, to me, are by far the most beautiful and magical gemstone to have formed here on this little Earth of ours. There's something so intriguing about the fire bursting from within that makes my heart sing. Perhaps it's my overactive imagination and obsession with all things sci-fi, fantasy and magical but Opals look like they've just been pulled from a fantasy world.

As some of you may know if you read my blog regularly, my Grandad passed away last January. A few months later my sister and I were presented with some inheritance he had left us. For a while I didn't know what to do with it. Heck, I didn't even want it, I just wanted him back. Eventually I decided I wanted something that would be sentimental, something that I could keep with me forever and remind me of him. I wanted an Opal ring. It may sound strange but in some ways I see my Grandad in opal stones. He had a fire in him, a stubborn fire at that, but a fire no less so it felt rather fitting.

I spent a long time searching for my opal ring. Every time I was out shopping I would stop everything if we went near a jewelers and scour every last corner searching for that perfect ring. Fast forward about 10 months or so and I found myself in York with my family. The number of jeweler shops around York is astonishing but none had what I was looking for. I then came across Bradley's Jewelers, a family business with a few shops dotted here and there across the country. The two ladies working there were so lovely and gave me a lot of advice on what to look out for when looking at rings, I even found out about opal doublets and triplets. I then spied a little beauty in the window and fell in love.

I always thought that I would find my ring when I tried one on and couldn't imagine ever taking it off. I'd tried several up to this point and none were right. This one though, this was right. My mum and I discussed the ring with the women in the shop, explaining the sentimentality behind the moment and that's when things got a bit teary. My mum started, then I started, it was a bit emotional but it was lovely and worth it. I'm so glad I found my ring and I can't help but stare at it at least once a day.

I know this may seem like somewhat of a random post, but I felt that I just wanted to write it down and share it. If you have any stories like this you want to share please leave me a comment, I'd love to hear it.

Until next time...
Abigail