Opals were something of a signature stone for Art Nouveau jewellers, prized specifically because their unpredictable flashes of colour resisted the kind of clean, symmetrical treatment more traditional gemstones invited — a good fit for a movement built around organic, flowing forms rather than geometric precision. This brooch follows that logic closely: three oval cabochon opals, pearly white with whatever play of colour catches the light, set within a scrolling gold design that curves and loops rather than settling into straight lines.
Cabochon cutting, a smooth polished dome rather than faceting, is really the only sensible way to handle opal, since faceting risks stressing and cracking a stone that's famously more fragile than most people expect.
