Opals: Wwake’s New Objects Collection is a Lesson in Upcycling

[PinkDiamond]

The only difference between these and the use of opals in vials that we've discussed here is the size and shape of the vials. Apparently she's found a niche for them, and makes money on small and/or broken opals that most just toss away or throw into the fishtank for being too small. I think all opal cutters should offer these in whatever vials they choose so people who would otherwise not be able to afford opals can wear them, and none of the chips go to waste since they can be made into something useful and beautiful.

Wwake’s New Objects Collection is a Lesson in Upcycling
By Ashley Davis
Ashley.Davis@nationaljeweler.com
July 5, 2018

Wwake designer Wing Yau collaborated with friend and artist Colin Lynch on a limited-edition series of glass vials containing opal castoffs.

"New York—In addition to the inherent challenges that come with being an artist running a small business, Wwake designer Wing Yau has tasked herself with a greater goal: making her line as traceable and eco-friendly as possible.

Ethical sourcing is a process—and Yau is knee-deep in it—but she’s found one creative means of limiting her business’s footprint.

Launched last week in collaboration with glassblower and jeweler Colin Lynch, whom she met while studying at the esteemed Rhode Island School of Design, Wwake’s “Art Objects” are a limited-edition collection of glass vials based on Greek Hellenistic artifacts filled with the opals that couldn’t be incorporated into Wwake jewelry.

“When you make jewelry, there’s such a strong focus on the most rare, beautiful material,” Yau explained. “But when you trace your materials from the mine to the cutting process and then to the jewelry, you see exactly how much precious material doesn’t actually make the cut; it becomes waste. As such, jewelry can be expected to represent our most perfect selves and not the whole of what we do.

“For me, the process and the imperfections are beautiful too—they show intention—and this is so much of what Colin and I do as designers. Our vials are intended to highlight the beauty of our ‘imperfect’ opals in timeless artifacts.”

Yau studied sculpture at RISD, and while she also produces larger-scale jewelry under the moniker Closer by Wwake, her delicate 14-karat gold and opal earrings and rings are what really caught the attention of stores, editors and consumers.



Opals are now synonymous with the brand and have become even more meaningful to Yau as she educates herself on their provenance and becomes more involved in their sourcing from mines like Coober Pedy, Lightning Ridge and Mintabie. ... "
https://www.nationaljeweler.com/fashion ... -upcycling

[rocks2dust]

Those are some of the most attractive vials I have seen. One word of caution, however: loose stones in glass will scratch the inside of the glass, even causing them to frost eventually. I cannot tell from the article, but I hope those are suspended in water or something else that cushions them from knocking around the inside of the vials. I've scratched the insides of a few vials myself.

[SwordfishMining]

It looked liquid filled with a stopper probably epoxied in. Also used borosilicate glass not soft glass.

[rocks2dust]

I was wondering whether there were stoppers. I could only see the reflection of the bails. Were the necks of the vials closed after inserting the opals? Some of them don't look like they would fit through the narrow necks, but perhaps that's just an optical effect.

Borosilicate "hard" glass can be tougher (at least for shock and thermal resistance) than soda glass, but it isn't much more resistant to scratching. Despite some outlandish claims for it (seemingly based only upon the Mohs hardness of some of its ingredients), it is still only Mohs 5-6. I've scratched enough of it from various manufacturers to be certain of this (everything from borosilicate "scratch resistant" lenses and watch crystals to baking dishes, test tubes and vials). Similar erroneous information is being spread for the "transparent aluminum" aluminium oxynitride ceramic glass, claiming a hardness of Mohs 9 (seemingly based on sapphire/aluminum oxide hardness rather than the ceramic's hardness), when it is in fact it is only around Mohs 7.5. Tough, but no amorphous ceramic/glass is going to be as hard as the corresponding crystalline mineral version of its components.

[PinkDiamond]

I think using glycerin instead of water would add enough viscosity that nothing would scratch the glass, but I don't know if glycerin yellows over time. It seems to stay clear after probably 10 years, based on some I have, but longer than that, I don't know.

[Shea_O]

I think using glycerin instead of water would add enough viscosity that nothing would scratch the glass, but I don't know if glycerin yellows over time. It seems to stay clear after probably 10 years, based on some I have, but longer than that, I don't know.

I've been thinking of running some parallel experiments with glycerin to see if it diminishes the play of color in any way, over years. Do you have any pieces of identical material that are both stored separately in glycerin and also in water?

I recently uploaded a video of some VV black opal that was excavated mere feet from where a friend found black opal just the day prior, and our material is strikingly similar looking - but when we compared his pieces that he had stored in glycerin they were chock full of colors but noticeably duller. He said he probably wasted a lot of rough "trying to chase the colors" but I wonder if the glycerin played a part. I have only stored my VV specimens in water and so I wonder...

I've heard a few people mention that glycerin will eventually stabilize an opal over time. I understand the intention in putting opals into glycerin/glycerol - because the hygroscopic nature of glycerol would supposedly extract water from the stone and thus reduce overall water content - but I wonder if this has been proven to be the case? If glycerin does indeed improve stability of opal by extracting water, is it considered a treatment?

I have abstained from putting any of my opals into glycerin because I worry that it would be considered a treatment, whether I could remove the glycerin safely or whether it penetrates the stone and if it does then I worry that a chemical impact on the play of color could be occurring. What if no amount of "chasing the color" would have made a difference for my friend if his stones are completely penetrated by glycerin? I'm genuinely curious about this subject

[SwordfishMining]

Hiya Shea. I found the glycerin wets a cut stable opal and hides the usage scratching for the only reason to use it in the old days on stable opal as recommended by the people writing books and not most of them either. The dealers of fine opals usually only recommended rinsing the dust off with clean water every now and then. Opals can be hydrophane to some extent and the less water or anything changes the better for gambling on a natural opal nobody is gonna say is treated. The glycerin will pull out the water & desiccate the opal in it and if its not stable crazing will start. Harry Bill Wilson advised me to never use it (Some of their opal goes white with crazing real fast in glycerine) and said Mineral oil is what the Peacock uses. It was not nearly as water hungry even tho some do "dry" their opals for years in it changing the oil now and then. The glycerine goes cloudy faster and personally I think it does dull a permeable opal some as does water saturation itself. They go into the jars brighter than they come out decades later unless they are "hard stable" opal...then you have to dry from saturated instead of starting drying in the clay like mined. NOW if its a water seeker it can pull itself apart re-saturating and some cutters do Virgin Valley Opal Dry and do EXTRA cool polishing and not a million steps just the 3-4 and polish with cerium to avoid heat stress like the Australians. To quit wasting time on useless polishing steps when thats all your competition is polishing to. (DONT try to burn on a mirror surface with polish until you can afford to lose some fine opals.) Waters easy, but waters more of a risk to big hydroplane stones over 2ct.
The glycerine does not stop somebody grinding the color off chasing an oval or ? Virgin Valley is usually viewed best in its full depth. I dont ever try to cut down to "just the brightest most valuable", unless it's asking for it, because of the unstable matrix's or layering or even variations cost you the entire stone that would have just had some flaws.
Glycerine does yellow over time and needs changed out. It will pull mud and carbon out of the opal and actually brighten them up in the new fluid, until it cant pull/replace any more water. Personally i think even tho they are "brighter" in glycerine than water even if they all dull over time in fluids except inert non penetrating ones? & will make them more difficult to dry later and will be badmouthed as treated if they can compete in looks with the naturals.
Pink More like shes copying us low end marketers into a high end product. How many glass globes of chips have you seen in your life? That was the cheapest gem color you could get back then. I like E for it as its suited to crushing to remove the ash.
R2D I hadnt actually tested scratching it myself I just assumed from the hype it was harder from the toughness difference on impact.

[PinkDiamond]

Thanks for giving us the scoop on the glycerin John. That nixes it for me; not that I have enough chips anyway, or a vial.

[SwordfishMining]

The traditional way the Australians always made floating opal vials was with a mixture of something like glycerine and water, not pure either, that i never chased down as I was cutting naturals, not trying to get chips out of my way and make gas $$$. Watch out. I'm about mad enough waiting on another to act to give it away, but i know the line of "here" "here" "here" would never end. HAHA You can rinse out most water soluble things or eat them out with acetone, but you have to heal the opal with much clean water when you are done, and the process still sometimes kills the patient.