Black and Gold — Pearl and Opal Necklace

Tahitian pearls come in a range of colors from white to black. The most valuable of these are of the darker variety, as the naturally dark tones of Tahitian pearls is a unique quality among pearls. Because of their darker hues, Tahitian pearls are commonly known as "black pearls". A true black Tahitian pearl is extremely rare, and largely considered one of the most beautiful kinds of pearls in the world. Most Tahitian pearls that are identified as “black” are actually charcoal grey, silver, or dark green.

The name opal is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word upala, which means 'jewel', and later the Greek derivative opállios. There are two broad classes of opal, precious and common. Precious opal displays play-of-color (iridescence); common opal does not. Play-of-color is defined as "a pseudo chromatic optical effect resulting in flashes of colored light from certain minerals, as they are turned in white light".