Gold or Silver? Choosing the Right Setting

One of the most common questions I get — right after "which opal should I choose?" — is what metal to set it in. Gold or silver? It's a decision that shapes how the stone looks, how long it lasts, and how it fits into your life. Here's how I think about it.

It starts with the stone itself

The colour and body tone of the opal should guide the metal choice more than personal preference. Dark opals — black opals, dark crystal opals, and many boulder opals — tend to look extraordinary in gold. The warmth of yellow or rose gold echoes the earthy fire in these stones and frames them without competing. White opals, with their softer, cooler colour play, often sing in sterling silver. The cooler metal lets the pastel blues, greens, and lilacs breathe without being overwhelmed.

That said, there are no hard rules. A white opal in 9ct yellow gold can be stunning. The key is contrast — you want the metal to frame the stone, not fight it.

Durability and daily wear

If you're buying a ring intended for daily wear, gold is the more practical choice. Sterling silver is beautiful, but it tarnishes over time and is slightly softer than gold alloys. For rings — which take more knocks than pendants or earrings — 9ct or 18ct gold holds its finish better over years of wear.

For pendants and earrings, sterling silver is an excellent choice. These pieces sit away from surfaces, take fewer knocks, and don't need the extra hardness that gold provides. And silver's price point means you can invest more of your budget in a better quality stone.

Style and skin tone

Yellow gold is warm, classic, and suits olive and deeper skin tones beautifully. Rose gold is feminine and contemporary, and sits well across warm, fair, and medium complexions. White gold and silver read similarly — cool, clean, and versatile — and suit cooler skin tones particularly well, though they work across the board.

Price

Sterling silver is significantly more affordable than gold, which means the same budget can buy a larger or higher-quality stone. If the opal is the star — and it always should be — silver is a smart way to prioritise the gem without compromise. Gold settings add real intrinsic value and are worth considering for significant purchases or heirloom-quality pieces.

At Iona Opal Australia, I work in both gold and sterling silver, and I'm always happy to advise which setting I'd choose for a particular stone.

Browse gold and silver opal jewellery at Iona Opal Australia