Australian Opal
Wow - What an incredible variety of opals Australia churns out! We're talking about opals with colours so vibrant they dance before your eyes. Sure, we've got love for opals from every corner of the globe, but let's be real – our hearts beat a little faster for Australian opal.
Crystal Opal
Crystal opal refers to the transparency of the stone which can have brilliant play of colour, even with a clear background. The term crystal come from it being 'crystal clear'. Most opal fields in Australia such as Coober Pedy and Lightning Ridge can produce crystal opal. This type of opal can achieve a high value when the play of colour is bright and vivid with high clarity.
Black Opal
Black opal is primarily found in Lightning Ridge, NSW as well as some fields in Coober Pedy and Mintabie, SA. It is the rarest and most valuable opal to be found. Black opal has a dark to jet black body tone which can be measured using the body tone scale, N1 to N4 is considered black opal. Play of colour on or within a dark or black body will generally be more bright
and vivid. An example would be a rainbow in front of a dark storm cloud making the colour's more pronounced.
White Opal
White and light opal's name comes from its body tone which on the body tone scale ranges from N7 to N9. White opal is the term used when the body tone is white or milky. Light opal can have a base colour of off white to grey and can be opaque to translucent. Both of these type of opal can still have fantastic colour, brilliance and pattern.
Dark Opal
Dark opal is the in between opal when referring to the body tone scale where N5 to N6 will be considered dark opal. Most fields can produce dark opal, however the majority will come from Lightning Ridge, NSW. With a dark body tone, play of colour on and throughout the opal can be very bright and vivid varying from translucent to opaque.
Boulder Opal
Boulder opal is found in western Queensland, mainly in Winton and Quilpie. Boulder opal is mined from large ironstone boulders beneath the grounds surface. Boulder opals are mixed with ironstone and have a solid layer of ironstone on their back.
Opal Doublets
Opal doublets are a slice of crystal or light opal assembled to a black backing which imitates a natural black opal. This type of opal has a fabulous bright and vivid look without the black opal price tag.
Opal Triplets
Opal triplets are a slice of crystal opal assembled to a black glass backing with a crystal quartz or moulded glass capping which imitates a natural black opal. This type of opal has a fabulous bright and vivid look without the black opal price tag. My family have been producing triplets for over 50 years - nothing is sent overseas to be cut.