Opals: A Quick Overview

Opal jewelry and Australian opals in particular are one of the most sought after and beautiful multicoloured gemstones in the world today. Only this amazing gemstone can display the entire range of spectral hues in a wonderful balance. It is today regarded very highly and one of its varieties can in fact be more expensive than diamond. Prices have come back considerably since the crazy days of the nineties when the Japanese discovered Australia’s national gemstone. During that time some high grade varieties were being offered for $40,000 per carat. But these prices were for exceptionally rare stones. It is possible to get a really nice little black opal for a few hundred dollars as you will see in the opal jewelry section on this site.

Appearance and Characteristics of Opal:

The opal is said to be over 60 million years old but this is questionable. More recent analysis seems to indicate that opal can develop in a relatively short period of time but whatever is the case, Australian opals are sought after because of it’s origin in the deserts of this large continent.

Opalescence

One of the unique characteristics of the stone is its opalescence. The stone has a rainbow like iridescence that changes according to the angle of observation. The stone possesses the ability to reflect and refract particular wavelengths of light. This play of color really makes opal jewelry come alive!  There are some beautiful gemstones in the world but the opal has the unique characteristic of being able to change colors as it is moved.

Australian Opals Shine The Brightest

These precious Australian opals interact with light to create flashes or sparks of blue, yellow, green, red and orange and occasionally purple and aqua. While red is considered to be the rarest, it really depends on your color preference. Some people prefer the dramatic reds, the deep blues, subdued and dynamic greens, and some with a combination of all these colors. Other folks prefer the more delicate shades of the white or milk opal.

Each opal has a dominant color

Opals usually have a dominant theme color. Some stick to variations of that theme. Others feature a dominant color such as red or green, but then offer multiples of other colors in contrast such as yellow, pink and crimson. The background darkness or lightness give the different types of opal their distinct appearance.

Black Opals are NOT BLACK

Sorry about the confusion folks but when dark Australian opals were first discovered it was the best way of describing them in contrast to white opals. You see, to this point in the early part of the 20^th century, most, if not all of the opals found in history were pale in color. That is they did not have a black background, so the foreground opal color was a pale color, not as dramatic. When they found this mysterious opal at Lightning Ridge which was very dark in appearance, they called them Black Opals.

Good Black Opals can have every color of the rainbow.

So dark opals and black opals whether they be Lightning Ridge opals or boulder opals have a real depth of color in the foreground which is more dramatic than the light ones. Australian Opals from Coober Pedy and Andamooka, although producing some black opal, are more known for their light background. More details of this are below. But good quality Australian opals can have every color of the rainbow. The only black part about them is their background.

Types of Opal

Australian opals are of different varieties such as black, white, boulder, crystal and the common opal. The most expensive and prized variety are black opals. They contain streaks of fire on a dark body color. The white opal is opaque meaning that the opal color is on the surface of the stone rather than being translucent. The fire opal originates from Mexico and is usually orange, red or yellow in color but most fire opals do not have a change of color. Other Mexican opals do have a color change similar to opals from Andamooka. These are transparent and shows brilliant flashes of color.

Uses for Common opal (potch)

Common opal or potch (opals with no play of color) is not generally used as a gemstone or in opal jewelry but rather are utilized as a backing for doublet opals. (see a full coverage of all these details in our Opal Encyclopedia.) Boulder opals are another variation of Black opal. These beautiful stones are cut in one piece leaving the boulder ironstone in the background of the opal which serves the same purpose of creating a dark or black background as black opal potch does in the Lightning Ridge opals.

Magnificent Opal Jewelry

Unset opals by themselves look amazing but when combined with gold and silver into opal jewelry the appeal is multiplied.  Because opal has such an endless variety, the design potential is enormous and you can see this when you look at the amazing range of opal jewelry at the opalmine site.

Evaluating Opal Jewelry

Evaluating a stone or a piece of opal jewelry that contains the stone is quite difficult. A good knowledge of the stone is necessary. It is difficult for an untrained individual to tell the difference between a high quality stone and a synthetic or manufactured opal.

Valuation Of Opals

The quality of an opal is judged or determined by its intensity (they flare and flash in any kind of light but look best in natural sunlight), color (red is an indication of the highest quality of the stone but this depends on your color preference), direction (flashes of color can be noticed from any angle or direction). For the benefit of opal lovers, a number of pictures from different angles are offered in the opal jewelry section at the opalmine site so that you can at least capture much of the beauty of the stone. Of course nothing is like taking the gem in your own hands and looking at it in sunlight or under a good incandescent globe.

Precious Australian Opals

Australian opals make up 95% of the world’s supply of precious opals and they are the national gemstone of Australia. Not only is the opal itself a fascinating story but at opalmine you will be able to get to know the history of the stone, and the people who live and work in the outback in search for this treasure. Many Australian opals are quite affordable and prices at opalmine begin as low as $10 and opal jewelry from $50.