Opal Gemstones can be found globally but the largest supply of Opals come from Australia! Australian Opal takes up more than 90% of the world’s Opal supply. The 3 most prominent locations where Opal is sourced are Coober Pedy, Lightning Ridge, and Opalton, Queensland Australia which is where our Opal Mine is located.
Each region is especially famous for a specific type of Opal and its rarity plays a part of the value as well. Coober Pedy is known for infamous White Opal, Lightning Ridge for rare Black Opal and Opalton for stunning and strong Boulder Opal.
Then there is the difference between Common Opal (also known as Potch Opal) and Precious Opal. Knowing the difference can help determine the value of an Opal.
Common Opal is often the base of what Precious Opal forms on and is generally less expensive as it has a solid base color. Precious Opal offers a striking play of color due to the formed silica spheres when the light reflects against them.
Now that we have covered the main Opal hunting grounds in Australia along with the two different kinds of Opal (common and precious), lets take a look at the features of Precious Opal to get a better idea of its value.
There are a few key factors that influence the value of Precious Opal including color, play of color, pattern, body tone, brightness and which Opal field the Opal came from (among other factors).
When looking at an Opal Gemstone, the color within the precious gem is the first thing that usually stands out. Precious Opal is typically never a single color due to the bright play of colors. As we begin to value an Opal, we use the dominant color followed by any secondary colors. Gold and yellow are the rarest colors followed by red and orange making Opal Gemstones with these dominant colors the most valuable.
Along with the colors of an Opal, the pattern within an Opal also effects the value. Some of the most popular Opal patterns include Broad Flash, Rolling Flash, Pinfire Flash and the world famous Harlequin Pattern.
Other important identifying factors include the body tone and brightness of the Opal along with the shape of the Opal. For Boulder Opal Gemstones, the natural rock shape is most desirable. As mentioned earlier, the mining field where the Opal was sourced is important and natural Opal is always valued higher compared to treated Opal.
With 30 years of mining, wholesaling and retailing, Australian Opal Direct is miner and manufacturer direct to consumer proving the highest quality of natural genuine Opals at prices 40%-50% below retail.
It is truly our greatest joy to grow and share the magic of the Opal Gemstone with our worldwide customers.
