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by Meg Andrews

COPYRIGHT© MEG ANDREWS 2010. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

I have vivid childhood memories of looking through my mother’s jewelry box and being transfixed by her floating opal earrings. Time seemed to stand still as I turned them over and over to see their fascinating displays of color and motion. Recently, after purchasing an enchanting double floating opal necklace, I found myself transfixed once again. And I began to wonder: who had created such an intriguing and unusual form of jewelry, and when was it first made? Little did I know that finding the answers to those simple questions would take months of research, and would lead to the discovery of a quite remarkable and nearly forgotten story.

Appearing much like a miniature snow globe, the floating opal is essentially comprised of small chips of opal encased in a liquid-filled glass orb. Although floating opals are still manufactured today,  the jewelry we recognize as vintage reached the peak of its demand in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. Floating opal jewelry, in the form of pendant necklaces and earrings, was enormously popular during that period and was manufactured by innumerable companies. Surprisingly though, it was decades earlier that the floating opal was first introduced. And remarkably, its inventor was not a jeweler, but a 50-year-old, Stanford-educated, patent-holding mechanical engineer. Beginning in 1920, in a venture that would take him through the rest of his life, Horace H. Welch patented, perfected, manufactured, and marketed his invention—transforming it, and himself, along the way. 

Horace H. Welch: Mechanical Engineer/Inventor

One has to wonder what would prompt a man, whose previous patents included carburetors, speedometers, fuel indicators, an early car alarm, and a mechanical pencil, to invent and patent a process for manufacturing jewelry. Was it a mid-life crisis? Was it a woman? The truth is that we may never know. What is known is that within two years of receiving his first patent for what would become the floating opal, Horace Welch left a seemingly successful career in Chicago and moved to New York City to begin manufacturing and selling his “Gem.”

Horace Herbert Welch was born in 1871, the second son of a country doctor, in La Cygne, Kansas. Census data show the family living in Kansas through the year 1885, but by 1900, much of his family had moved to Los Angeles, California. Within that time frame, Horace attended Harvard University for a year (1892-93) and graduated from Leland Stanford Junior University (1897) with an A.B. degree in physics. Little is known of him from that time until August of 1910, when at the age of 39, he filed for his first patent. In that application for the patent of a ”Speed Indicator,” Welch acted as assignor to the Stewart-Warner Speedometer Corporation of Chicago.  In the following years through 1920, Welch applied for no less than thirteen¹ mechanical and electrical patents from various locations including Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Milwaukee.

That Horace was an intelligent man is without question. One has only to read the multitudinous pages of his 24 known patents to observe his quite brilliant and meticulous mind. His dramatic pen style revealed also a great capacity for showmanship and promotion — qualities that would serve him well in the jewelry industry. Because he never married and lived so far away from his California relatives, living family members know little of him but do report that the family considered him eccentric.

Welch’s Patents: The Development of The Floating Opal

For an accurate timeline of the development of “The Floating Opal,” it is best to look at the patents² in the order that they were filed rather than when they were issued. (See chart.) Welch’s first application for what would become the floating opal was filed in January of 1921, and was entitled simply …“Gem.” It was approved swiftly by U.S. patent standards in June of 1922 and given the number 1,421,329.

The patent was very general in nature and consisted of a single page of drawings and only two and a half pages of description. In flowery language, Welch wrote that his invention pertained “to a novel and pleasing type of gem or jewel adapted for many and varied uses, particularly in the production of jewelry.” He mentioned opals only in passing, and described instead that the shell could be filled loosely with  “the well-known sparkling granular ‘metallics’ of the trade, or...crumpled pieces of gold leaf, tinsel or the like.” He stated that the jewelry could be made with or without liquid using a single loose gem or a number of display elements, and he included the rather impractical examples of a ring and a strand of beads.

Even before that first patent was granted, a May 1922 publication of The Stanford Illustrated Review noted its alumnus as follows:

’97-Horace H. Welch, mechanical engineer, originally of Los Angeles, and for the last few years of Chicago,
has invented and patented more than twenty mechanical devices for electrical and other machinery.
One of his latest inventions is a heavy colorless liquid in a tiny glass globe holding minute bits of
colorful opal to be used for cheap rings and necklace pendants. 

There, for the first time, was the commitment to opals and necklace pendants. Sometime in the year and a half between his patent application and that publication, Horace’s tinsel-filled novelty had made the leap toward becoming a floating opal. Just how he came to conclude that opal fragments should be the display elements is hard to guess. It is likely that he was searching for something attractive yet inexpensive, as his goal was to produce a new and cheaper form of “high-grade” jewelry. The opal, with its history of being both prized and shunned, was enjoying a new wave of popularity, and owing to its fragility, fragments were “common and of low cost.” Whatever it was that led Horace to the opal, his subsequent applications show a definite shift in focus and a significant concentration on displaying the opal’s colors most advantageously.

Apparently, there were initial production problems related to the gem’s fragility and its tendency to break. In August and November of 1924, Welch filed his second and third patent applications, in which he de...

— FAQS —

What is a Floating Opal?
A floating opal is a small glass housing (usually an orb or teardrop) in which small chips of genuine opal float in liquid.  If the opals do not move, it is NOT a floating opal. Many man-made opals (also known as Mosaic, Captured, and Frozen opals) are erroneously called floating opals

What is the liquid in floating opals?
The liquid used in vintage floating opals is glycerin, the same colorless liquid that is widely used by the cosmetics industry. Other liquids have occasionally been used, but it is generally glycerin (not mineral oil or water) that is found in the vintage floating opals.

When were floating opals made?
The floating opal was invented by Horace H. Welch and first patented in 1922. Additional patents were issued to Welch in 1929, 1931 and 1932. Floating opal jewelry continued to be made through the 20th century and is still manufactured today.

Are there other floating opal patents?
Yes. Samuel Stonberg, the founder of Opalite, Inc, of Philadelphia, has several. His patent 1,912,602 was approved in 1933. In it he claimed several improvements including but not limited to: a “diaphanous” housing with a translucent rather than transparent liquid, and the use of a “plurality” of gems with different specific gravities so they would float at different rates.  Stonberg’s other patents date to the 1950s and 1960s.  From the 1950s through the 1970s, Opalite was an industry leader in floating opal production.

What other companies made floating opal jewelry?
After Horace Welch’s last patent expired in 1949, many companies (including H.H. Welch under new ownership) made floating opals. Although I’m sure there were others, some of the names that come to mind are Opalite, Iris, Coro, Van Dell, Amco, and Milano.

Can the makers of vintage floating opals be identified?
Sometimes, but not always. The earliest floating opals were manufactured by H. H. Welch and can be identified using the marks described on the previous page. Some of the later manufacturers (1950s-1980s) marked their jewelry, but not consistently. Although some manufacturers did use 14 karat gold occasionally, the use of gold filled and sterling silver metal was predominant. Marks of 1/20 12K G.F. and STERLING serve as good, though not foolproof, indicators that a piece is vintage. Iris floating opal pendant caps are marked with an “I” (sometimes mistaken for an “H”) in a teardrop hallmark. Opalite’s name is sometimes found on their findings. Other manufacturers sometimes marked their jewelry if room allowed.

Using the pendant caps as identifiers can be moderately helpful. While the tulip style caps were used by all of the manufacturers, there appear to be slight differences that, with further study, could lead to more definitive attributions. Filigree caps were first used in the 1970s and continue to be used today. I have also recently noted floating opal pendants with an antique style cap marked “925” being sold as vintage. They are not.  Sterling silver caps on vintage floating opals are marked “STERLING.”

Is there other vintage floating opal jewelry besides orb or teardrop pendants?
Yes. Horace Welch manufactured a ring through the early 1930s. However, it proved to be very fragile and not many have survived. And Opalite produced a lovely heart shaped floating opal, in which the glass itself was shaped like a heart. I have also seen other pendants in which floating opal orbs are set within a large mountings shaped like hearts or a flowers. (Again, beware of motionless chips which are not floating opals.)

How can I tell if a floating opal is damaged?
A damaged floating opal is easy to identify. Lack of liquid, or liquid that is cloudy or dirty looking will indicate leakage and therefore damage somewhere. Likewise, a very large bubble that can be seen when the pendant is held upright. A bubble in general (as long as it small) is not a sign of damage. Scratching on the glass is also considered damage, as are dents and dings on the mounting.

What about quality?
Not all floating opals are created equal. The best floating opals have colorful and fiery opal chips. And the larger the chips the better.

— Caring For Vintage Floating Opals —

As with all jewelry, storage and care is important. Although they are remarkably sturdy, floating opals can suffer damage easily. To avoid breakage, store floating opals in a padded box separate from any other jewelry. To prevent a bubble from escaping its hidden chamber, try to store pendants in an upright position. Avoid temperature extremes like those found in attics or unheated basements. (I would also warn against shipping floating opals in the heat of summer and the cold of winter.) Surface cleaning can be done with a mild detergent solution using cotton swabs or a soft cloth. Submerging a floating opal in anything is not recommended. Do not use harsh chemical solvents or abrasives as they might scratch the glass or damage the mounting. Wear and enjoy!

 CLICK TO RETURN TO PAGE ONE:  Welch’s Floating Opal

More to come. This page is a work in progress and I hope to continue adding information
as it becomes available. I’d love to hear your comments and suggestions and I’d be happy
to hear from anyone who has pictures or information to share.   —Meg Andrews
Contact me at:
floating.opals@gmail.com

 Copyright© Meg Andrews. All Rights Reserved. 

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