I'm not a big wearer of costume jewellery; mainly because I have a few treasured pieces of jewellery that were gifts and these seem to be "safe" choices. However I decided to update my wardrobe and accessorise rather than spend a fortune on new outfits. I was shocked at the price of costume jewellery, some items costing in the region of £20 for rings and necklaces so I headed to Primark where I knew I could get some stylish pieces without breaking the bank. This is how I came about purchasing the Opia Black and Gold Chunky Ring


***Availability***
The Opia Black and Gold Chunky Ring is available in Primark and costs £1.99. Even by costume jewellery standards this is very cheap.


*** Opia Black and Gold Chunky Ring***
The Opia Black and Gold Chunky ring has a gold band ring with a large oval shaped black gem on top. The black oval shaped gem is about 1.5cm wide and about 2cm long. The gem is raised up to around 0.5cm. Around the gem there is a thin gold case which is holding the gem onto the ring.

The ring does not look like an expensive piece of jewellery however it does not look overly cheap or tacky. The gold band is shiny but not yellow or orange looking which makes this look like an average piece of fashion jewellery.

When worn the overall look is not for everyone. The ring is quite large then on your finger which is why I think it looks more balanced when worn on the middle finger. When on your finger it does slightly overlap your other two fingers alongside it. This does not restrict movement however or stop you bending your finger. It is heavy but not as heavy as it looks which makes it easy to wear. Because this is such a statement piece I do feel that it is best worn as a simple piece with quite plain outfits. Personally I feel that if it was worn with other rings or with a bracelet on the same hand it may cheapen the look. However those who are more daring fashion wise may feel it's more suited to wearing with other statement outfits or pieces of jewellery.

What surprised me most about the ring was how durable it was and that it did not leave any marks on my finger like some costume jewellery does. For £1.99 I was expecting only to get a few wears out of the ring before it fell apart or was green and tarnished. I purchased this ring about 6 months ago and have worn it around 8 times now and it still looks as new. There are a few scratches on the top of the ring but nothing that spoils the ring or means that it can't be worn anymore.

The Opia Black and Gold Chunky Ring is available in three sizes; Small, medium and large. I purchased this to wear on my middle finger which is a ring size L. Primark does not state the specific ring sizes however the small was slightly too small for my middle finger but too large for my ring finger (which is an I) therefore I feel the small is approximately a ring size K. I purchased a medium which was a little too large so this is most likely a ring size M therefore based on this logic a large would equate to ring size O. However it is probably worth trying the ring on.

I purchased the ring in a medium which I did feel was a little loose on my middle finger therefore the ring was not as comfortable as I would have liked. I was able to squeeze the ring and bend the metal to make it more narrow which fit my finger better and made the ring feel more secure. As the band of the ring is quite flimsy I was able to do this easily.


***Overall***
For £1.99 I do not think you can expect this to be a high quality piece of jewellery but as far as costume jewellery goes it certainly was more durable than I expected. It is quite a statement ring and not to everyone's taste. I find that rather than wearing lots of jewellery with this ring (i.e other rings or a bracelet) I wear it as a statement piece matched with other black items and outfits. Otherwise I think the overall look could be quite cheap and tacky.

I might not have struck gold with this one but I do think I found a hidden gem!