Australian Opal Buying Guide

 We love the color range of Australian opal. It is a very special stone that can display any color in the spectrum. We appreciate all variations and carefully choose which stone will look best set into a given piece. The type of setting will determine the quality of the stone we use; lower grade opal for silver and good stuff for gold or platinum settings.

 

Opal is found in many places, including the United States, but 90% of the supply comes from Australia. Of this, 2% is boulder opal, so it is the most valued and expensive. Opal is found in small deposits in several different US states; Idaho, Arizona and Nevada. Mexico produces a type of transparent opal often referred to as "fire" opal, which is a different grade of opaque stone without the play of color you see in Australian opal. We prefer Australian opal for its depth and unique appearance.

 

The bright, shiny pieces of opal earrings you see in most fine jewelry are opal doublets, thin sheets of opal that have been covered with opal or another material. This achieves the bright iridescence commonly seen in opal jewelry with less material. This type of opal has a much lower price than a boulder. Opal doublets are a real eye-catcher and the best value for money. The third step down would be a triplet, which is a doublet with another clear material across the top of the piece, such a quartz. This layer helps protect the stone, but is usually reserved for lower quality opal.

 

When choosing opal and opal jewelry, you want to look for depth of color. Flashes of red or yellow that seem to dance beneath the surface and give the stone a layered effect. The best specimens can be light or dark in color, but will have a depth of color that sets them apart from cheaper stones. Better stones have more red and yellow throughout the stone and you want to look at the stone from all sides to see how the colors play in the light. Higher quality stones will have an iridescence from every angle. We love using opal in our handcrafted Asheville jewelry.

 

Australian opal has some of the most unique properties of any colored gemstone available. We hope you enjoy opal in all its forms and find a place for this beautiful stone in your collection.