Gemstone and Jewelry

Projects

- Kyoto Opal -

Bruce Harding - Kyoto Opal -

“Kyoto Opal has expanded the possibilities of my fashion brand.
I make people happy each day by creating “Life in Color” with Kyocera.”

Introduction

Why Kyoto Opal?

Bruce Harding, the designer of DREAMTIME, grew up in an opal mining region of South Australia. He combined his knowledge of gemstones and love of art to create unique and rare opal jewelry for the last 40 years.

In his early days, Harding combined the worlds of art and fashion to let people experience opal’s play-of-color. He created an amazing collection of obi and kimono called "Fantasy of Brilliance" for a well-known kimono brand. The experience of working with traditional Japanese artists was a big turning point and inspired him to start a fashion line using opal colors and patterns with Kyoto Opal accents on each piece.

“I chose Kyoto Opal because it makes every piece unique and exciting. It’s a revolution in design, quality and concept,” Harding stated.
Kyocera’s Solution

How does Kyoto Opal enhance your business?

I first saw Kyoto Opal at a jewelry show in Japan.
There are a few other lab-grown opal creators, but only Kyocera's Kyoto Opal offers such a wide variety of colors with the same play-of-color as natural opal.

The deciding factors behind why I chose Kyoto Opal were to express my brand’s uniqueness, bring the concept of Life in Color to fruition with the vast color selection, and to be able to cut the stones into any imaginable shape.

I have worked with Kyocera for 40 years. The company’s dedication in challenging new frontiers in the gemstone realm has resulted in not only a wide variation of color choices and flexibility, but also the freedom to cut and process opal far beyond what is possible with natural opal.

When I design jewelry for the DREAMTIME brand, I focus on making the featured stone come alive so that the piece becomes a special treasure for my customers.
With the new Kyoto Bruce line, my goal is to design for everyone, regardless of age or gender, so that more people can experience the wonder of opal.

The fact that Kyoto Opal can be specially cut into any shape gives us a very special product that no one else has or can copy.
Outcomes

What was the reaction after introducing Kyoto Opal?

I never dreamed that it would be possible to use opal material to enhance fashion, especially because of its rarity, cost and brittleness.
And then Kyoto Opal was created with so many advantages over natural opal, enabling us to use opal in our fashion designs.

・The high-quality stones feature a swirling play-of-color and brilliance.
・The price is stable, so you can order additional material as needed.
・Kyoto Opal offers high resistance to crazing and cracking. It is easily cut to your exact specifications.
・ With heat resistance to 130℃, cleaning the stones is not a problem.

The Kyoto Bruce line uses Kyoto Opal as a unique accent on bags, purses, cufflinks, scarves, toggles, , pens, picture frames, juzu beads, tassels and more.
It’s so exciting to introduce something new and beautiful to the world! I love to create new fashions for my clientele, and to branch out further and provide an opportunity for people everywhere who have never seen the radiance of opal to enjoy what we fondly call “The Queen of Gems.”
What’s Next?

Opal is a remarkable gemstone unlike any other. It’s incredibly beautiful with an amazing play-of-color, but very few people have ever seen top-quality opal because of its rarity and price.
Kyocera created Kyoto Opal so that everybody can enjoy the wonder of this elusive gemstone.

I believe that opal brings color into our lives.
I hope other industries, designers and artists will begin to incorporate Kyoto Opal into all manner of products, enhancing their creations and pleasing their customers.