I am ordering a take-out tuna sandwich from Lambo’s before heading to the Opera on Valentine’s Day.
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The opal stand at the Philly xmas village is actually an outpost of a jewelry store in Princeton that we also checked out…. but I’d already gotten my annual pair of earrings (white/pink & dangly, so mostly for gigs or fancier occasions) at the xmas village, and didn’t really see anything there that I liked — probz bc the opal stand had taken most of the opals from the store 
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Ok, here are the 2 rings. Forgot about the one on the left…an Australian white opal surrounded by 2 round European cut and 16 round early brilliant cut diamonds (per the appraisal I had done waaaaay back in 1992). This was my paternal grandmother’s. If I remember the story correctly, she told me she wore it when she and Grandfather met Emperor Hirohito and the Empress Nagako of Japan (well after WWII and the Second Sino-Japanese War). The Emperor was a figurehead at this point. I think I’ve worn it once to a company Christmas party. LOL
The Australian black opal was my maternal Grandma’s. I dont have any history on that one, but the ring’s setting was hand engraved. It very well may not be considered a true black opal; I’m just going with what the appraisal from 1992 said. Perhaps now it’s a different name.
The earrings I bought myself. I can’t wear the studs anymore since I was foolish and used to wear large, chunky, heavy earrings, and being on the phone so much in my career, pulled down on the left ear piercing so much it enlarged the hole too much. The other earrings I bought these plastic backers so it doesn’t pull through my earlobe. They’re not old, but they sort of look it and I liked them.
And the 2 necklaces. I’m pretty sure I bought the first one because it was so similar to the black opal ring, although not as deep blue/green.
The other I bought in an antique store. The round stone is a white opal, and the drop is purpleish-pink, but it’s relatively clear, so I doubt it’s an opal.
I need to get the entire lot of them reappraised! (Edited several times to fix multiple spelling errors because…fat fingers!)
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Beautiful collection!!
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Wow, that left ring with the diamonds is stunning! I thought black opals looked more like this:
which is why I am obsessed with finding one… but there’s so much variety* in them who knows!
I have a few opal studs (white, blue/green, and white/pink), plus a buncha danglies (mostly blue, blue/white, pink/white).
I find most of their settings are similar, i.e. ‘old-looking.’
Your collection is gorgeous! Here’s mine, gathered over many years 
(the light blue opal earring missing is being fixed)
(I clearly shouldn’t leave my jewelry box open… dusty mofo!
)
*the variety is what I love about them 
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Also a beautiful collection…
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Yeah, that’s what I realized down the road once the Internet opened up with info like this. The appraisal is from 1992, so I was just going with what it said. As I said, I need to get the entire lot re-appraised as I’m sure the replacement values are very different from 33 years ago!
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Your deep blue bracelet and earrings in the lower left of your first picture are stunning…and very similar to my ring!
And the yellow/orange and purple with green/yellow specks earrings are gorgeous!
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It’s so funny how much lighting matters with opals.
The ones that look orange in the picture are actually white/pink, and the purple/green/yellow ones are actually dark blue & green.
Opals. So extra. 
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LOL That they are. Little drama queens. 
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Zuni Cafe Cookbook roast chicken with bread salad. It’s been tooooo long since we’ve made it.
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Just put in a lunch res for Slanted Door in Napa, Sunday.
I never got to try the one in SF, and given the fire closing it down, and Charles Phan passing away, we figured if we ever want those glass noodles and crab, we’d better go now.
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Do you eat beef? The shaking beef is delicious.
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black opals? color me intrigued.
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I posted a link, but if you do an image search… 
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yes, i had a fun time oogling them last night!
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We finally got the deets for our private gig on Friday. Choice of 5-8 or 6-9pm. I’d assumed a two-hour set, so this news had me scrambling for a 3-hr set list 
We’ve also just been invited to a “VD-themed” poker game (whatever that may mean) that same night, and the hostess included a good friend who is currently separated in her email invitation 
(and who politely declined), so we opted for the earlier gig. Food at the VD-themed game is apparently ‘curries and chocolate sweeties.’
Here’s hoping her sweeties include sugar. She’d brought a batch of cookies without it to a recent game that were… rather odd.
However, that means our celebration this year is postponed indefinitely, bc we are also invited to a dinner party on Saturday by our dear friends, the Lebanese/Indian couple.
We’ll manage somehow
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Noted!
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Some inspo from our beloved NYT.
