VinCent Gulino, our jewelry designer, is the owner of Sunrise Jewelers and Trading Co. in the world famous artist colony of Tubac, Arizona. He attended E. Darrel Smith Art School in Homedell, N.J. for six years, and is an accomplished artist, jeweler and sculptor. VinCent has been a metalsmith for over 40 years and works with gold, silver and platinum. He is also a diamond setter and works with precious stones. Vincent designed the jewelry for the 2007 New York Fashion week collection of "Manuel, The Clothing Designer for the Stars." and has designed and created jewelry for the rich and famous. He is a partner in Southern Skies Opal and hand picks the stones he uses to design our jewelry. He will be happy to design and create that special piece just for you.
Southern Skies Opal is unique. It has a hardness factor of 6-1/2 to 7. Most opals have a hardness factor between 4 and 6. Most opals are sedimentry, meaning they are created by pressure and fossilization. Southern Skies opal was created by volcanic activity, specifically hydrothermal activity.
Through the ages at each eruption, different minerals were deposited, creating the different color layers in the opal. When the stones are cut they look like landscapes or pictures and to our knowledge has never been found in any other opal. Southern Skies Opal also carries the "Fire" or "Play of Color" that is uniquely found in opals.
The Southern Skies Opal mines are located in southern Arizona near the old presidio of Tubac. We do all our own mining and make all our jewelry. VinCent handcuts all our stones. Most of the jewelry on this site is made with sterling silver, but custom pieces can be made with gold as well. This gemstone is totally unique, and is a new exciting representation of the American Southwest!
Southern Skies Opal has been featured in the trade magazine "Lapidary Journal" and is found in "The Opal Book," written by foremost opal authority Fred Ward. Southern Skies Opal has been certified by the Gemology Institute of America. Wholesale inquiries are welcome.
Southern Skies Opal is an American owned and operated company. Our jewelry is handmade sterling silver. We guarantee our product for a reasonable amount of time we will repair it free of charge .
