What color opal is most valuable?
Black opal is the most rare and highly valued form of opal, and has what is called a black (or dark) body tone. Black opals come in every colour of the rainbow. Their dark body tone makes the colours on the face of the opal appear rich and intense.
Black opal is the most prized opal and may realise prices over AUD $15,000 a carat. Boulder opals also have a dark body tone. White opals have a light body tone and are generally the least valuable form of opal.
Opals vary widely in price depending on their variety and quality. Black opals are the most prized. These gems have a black or dark blue background and show their play of color most vividly. Prices for fine to extra fine quality gems usually range from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars per carat.
Value. By comparison, white opals are the least valuable form of opal. This is partially due to the fact that they are the most common form of opal, but also due to the lack of darkness in the stone which leads to the more vibrant colour in boulder opals and black opals.
The cut of a fine opal should be symmetrical. If it's a cabochon, the dome should be well rounded. Domed surfaces give the best play-of-color, and make the stone appear vivid from most viewing angles. If the cabochon is flat, it might be vulnerable to breakage, especially during setting into jewelry.
Narrator: High-quality black opal can cost over $10,000 per carat, making it one of the world's most expensive gemstones.
Your Opal might have turned yellow as a result of chemical contact, an insufficient water level, or unusual processing materials. What is this? The majority of Opals available on the market are from Ethiopia. They are the most water-loving type of Opal, which enables them to take in a lot of water.
Opals are more expensive than diamonds and gold! Australian black opal price can sometimes reach even $10,000 per carat (0,2 grams only!). It's complicated to evaluate opal because every stone is unique.
These precious finds can fetch up to $US500,000 ($A700,000) in the premier US market.
An opal is an opaque gemstone with a distinct play-of-color. While it is predominately found in white, this stone can also be found in black, blue, pink, orange and red hues.
Which shape of opal is best?
Opals typically come in a cabochon cut — meaning that they have a flat bottom with a smooth domed top. This cut is the best for showcasing play of color. As for shape, oval and round are the most common, followed by pear shape and marquise. We recommend these four shapes as the best way to showcase opal's beauty.
It might seem a tad bit odd, but Ethiopian opals are cheap because they don't control the market. Sure, they are a bit rarer than Australian, but they have to compete with opal royalty. The only way Ethiopian opal sellers can turn a profit is if they offer their gems at a lower price point.
Water penetration can eventually cause the glue to deteriorate and the layers to separate, causing the opal to take on a foggy, grey, or cloudy appearance. This fact is the origin of the 'never get your opal wet' misconception.
Because there are so many opal fields in Australia, there really is no singular form of opal. This means that opal costs can vary from about $10 per carat to approximately $6,000 per carat.
Common opal is solid-colored, usually within the same hue. The colors tend to be muted, and there's also a lot of white opals out there. Some common opal has a bit of clarity and inclusions like dendrites but it's most often pretty solid. Precious opal, on the other hand, displays a fiery interior.
How to tell a fake opal or Synthetic opal from the real thing ... - YouTube
Chemical Composition
Its water composition is also such a distinct property that causes opals to change in colour. Heat, humidity, sweat and contact in water can make the amount of water in opals fluctuate. When this happens or when your opal pendant loses or gains water, its colour changes.
Who should wear Opal? Opal is highly recommended to someone, who has Mahadasha or Antardasha of Venus (Shukra) in the horoscope. Indian astrology assigns Opal ratna for Tula (Libra) and Vrishabha (Taurus) rashi. Western astrology recommends opal birthstone for Libra sign.
Blue Diamond – $3.93 million per carat
The most expensive and rarest gemstone in the world is a natural blue diamond. That explains the price of $3.93 million per carat. Blue diamonds were discovered in India and later displayed in a London collection in 1839.
Australian opal is highly prized, rare and the best quality opal in the world. Opal is considered a safe investment because the material has never dipped in value and has only ever increased due to the demand of the world market and jewellery production.
Can opals lose their color?
Hydrophane opals have the ability to absorb water or liquids, similar to a sponge, resulting in a change of color that may turn the opal translucent yellow or brown and the play-of-color to disappear temporarily. Don't panic though! The color will return once the opal is fully and naturally air-dried.
Opals From Australia
Australia has to be the most famous of all countries for precious Opal. It was first found back in the late 19th century. The Opal they found is the well- known and well-prized black opal. Australia also produce many different varieties including white, crystal and boulder Opal.
However, most of the opal from Wollo is hydrophane, which simply means it is porous enough to readily absorb water, much like a sponge.
Moonstone is a sodium potassium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula (Na,K)AlSi3O8 and belongs to the feldspar group. Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica; its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%.
Weight: The 'weight' of an opal is measured in terms of Carats; 1 Carat equals 0.2 Grams. Prices of opal are best for stones that are 2-5 Carats (0.4 - 1.0 grams) and up to 10 Carats (2.0 grams). Opals bigger than this, while prized, are less viable for jewellery purposes and the value/carat can be reduced.
Opal Pineapple
Opal is an amorphous mineral, meaning they have no crystal form. Opal pineapples are Pseudomorphs, which occur when one mineral replaces another making a cast of the original mineral. Opal has replaced the original mineral Ikaite, which only crystallises in near freezing conditions.
Fire opal is mined in the Mexican states of Queretaro, Hidalgo, Guerrero, Michoacan, Julisio, Chihuahua and San Luis Potosi. The most significant deposits were discovered in Queretaro in 1835, and are still producing today. Small quantities of this gem can also be found in Oregon and British Columbia.
Pipe opal is crystal opal found often in long pipe like cylinders of ironstone, sandstone & petrified wood. The earrings below feature pipe opal in petrified wood. The color is a purple-pinkish tone with flashes of green.
While the Ethiopian opal boom seems relatively new, archeology shows that opals may have played a part in East African trade as early as 4000 B.C. A 1939 discovery by archeologist Louis Leakey places opals in the hands of humans in Kenya nearly 6000 years before contemporary Ethiopian opal discoveries.
One of the most captivating qualities of hyalite opal is its fluorescent green glow in shortwave ultraviolet light. All minerals can reflect a degree of light, but some have the physical qualities that allow them to temporarily absorb a small amount of light and releases it in a different wavelength.
How many opal colors are there?
Commonly having a bodycolor of white, yellow, gray, black, or brown; however, the bodycolor of opal can be any color. Some of the most beautiful common opals are red, orange, pink, green,or blue. The play-of-color of precious opal displays spectral colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
Don't soak your opal rings in water as they are slightly porous. Of course, washing your hands with your opal ring on is fine, you just want to avoid submerging them for long periods of time. For example, if you want to clean your opal ring, just use a very soft damp cloth.
Opal gemstone must be worn on Friday morning of Shukla Paksh (waxing moon) in the middle or ring finger of your right hand.
Or, try combining fire opal with gemstones that are close in hue: citrine, carnelian and red aventurine. A beautiful harmony is created by a split-complementary scheme: fire opal with blue and green aventurine.
An opal is an opaque gemstone with a distinct play-of-color. While it is predominately found in white, this stone can also be found in black, blue, pink, orange and red hues.
Black Australian opals are worth up to $10,000 per carat, which is far more expensive than common diamonds.
Most genuine solid opals have an irregularity in this area – curved or bumpy due to their natural formation – whereas a man-made stone will be perfectly flat because the two sections are flattened so they can be glued together. Be especially wary if the opal is set in jewellery and you cannot see its back or side.
For centuries, opal symbolism and lore included associations with royalty and good luck. However, in modern times, this gemstone has become the object of many negative — and unfounded — superstitions. All but black opals have acquired a reputation for being unlucky.
