My favorite stone is an opal because when I was bullied in school, my mom used to take me to T.J. Maxx after school to look at the opal jewelry. I thought opals were so beautiful, and somehow it made me feel better. We never bought them, just looked.
The plique-à-jour technique was used for the green leaves of the Glycine collar by Philippe Wolfers, perhaps the most important piece by the Belgian jeweler.
It has wisteria blossoms of opal and watermelon tourmalines and curved branches set with tiny rubies.
Two bat-eared gargoyles open their mouths to devour a large boulder opal. Above them rise acanthus leaves and a rose window. Further Gothic elements unfold beneath them, terminating in three shimmering opal drops.