Opal question

[beaujolais]

Is a white(ish) background very preferred to say a background that is light yellow/light orange? By far?

Thanks.

 

[ma re]

It would depend on some factors. By orange/yellow background you''re probably refering to fire opals and those are a totally different variety than white opals. A background alone wouldn''t make all that much difference in price, but it''s the play of color that can set them apart by a lot. The wider the spectrum of color play visible inside the stone and the stronger/more brilliant the colors, the more expensive the stone will be. Opals are one of the most difficult gemstones to put a precise value on, because there is just so many variables to consider, and besides the spectrum and brilliance of colors, there''s also a pattern, surface coverage, spread of angles from which the colors are seen, as well as traditional aspects like weight, shape etc.

So to try to answer your question, a typical fire opal (if that''s what your question is about) would probably be slightly more expensive than a typical (commercial grade, B&M store quality) white opal, but if the white one would show stronger colors, better translucency and an interesting pattern, with all else equal it would most certainly cost more.

 

[chrono]

While background colour plays a role in desireablity, the main criteria that sets its value is in the play of colour. The busier the play of colour, the intensity and the variety of colour is what determines the rarity and perceived beauty.

 

[T L]

Date: 3/4/2010 7:45:42 AM
Author: Chrono
While background colour plays a role in desireablity, the main criteria that sets its value is in the play of colour. The busier the play of colour, the intensity and the variety of colour is what determines the rarity and perceived beauty.

There are also certain color patterns and opal types that also raise the value of opals. For example, black opals with a harlequin pattern and lots of red colorplay, are very valuable. Red is a very desirable color in an opal, more so than other colors, like blue. I'm not an opal expert by any means, but that is what I've read and researched. I assume each opal type (crystal, black, jelly, fire, etc. . . ) has specific features that come into play that corroborate with value.

 

[beaujolais]

Thanks Dear Knowledgeable Friends. No, not a fire opal, it''s an Ethiopian opal.

I appreciate it. Sonoma

 

[The Joker]

What type of Ethiopian opal is it?
Dark Chocolate Brown or Crystal Ethiopian opal ?

 

[beaujolais]

Ms./Mr. Joker:

It''s crystal Ethiopian.

Um, Wow, those are some fantastic things on your site. I love the settings and the music, too.

 

[The Joker]

Date: 3/5/2010 4:56:20 PM
Author: sonomacounty
Ms./Mr. Joker:

It''s crystal Ethiopian.

Um, Wow, those are some fantastic things on your site. I love the settings and the music, too.

Thank you for the comments about the site.
I would love to see a picture of your crystal opal. If you can''t tell, Opal is my favorite gemstone, and I really like the mystic play of colors in crystal opal.

 

[Arkteia]

I am holding this book by Renee Newman "Gemstones Buying Guide". Actually, it is not much of a guide but it has very nice pictures. There are two opals side-by-side. One is new and quite expensive and the other is older. The background and play of color is so different you immediately understand what drives the price. Really precious opals are very expensive and amazingly beautiful but I saw very few of them. To me the colors look more pronounced - as if someone took a black canvas and splashed different colors on it. Less expensive ones are more gelatinous, even if the background is black. They just lack the brightness of colors.

 

[T L]

Date: 3/6/2010 2:27:40 PM
Author: crasru
I am holding this book by Renee Newman ''Gemstones Buying Guide''. Actually, it is not much of a guide but it has very nice pictures. There are two opals side-by-side. One is new and quite expensive and the other is older. The background and play of color is so different you immediately understand what drives the price. Really precious opals are very expensive and amazingly beautiful but I saw very few of them. To me the colors look more pronounced - as if someone took a black canvas and splashed different colors on it. Less expensive ones are more gelatinous, even if the background is black. They just lack the brightness of colors.

Top black opals can fetch tens of thousands of dollars. The harlequin pattern is supposedly the most desirable, and the more red colorplay, the better.

Here''s a nice little opal buying guide with a focus on Australian opals.

http://www.codyopal.com/cody0405/aboutopals.htm

 

[Largosmom]

I love my ethiopian opal. Would love to see photos of yours. My jeweler showed me some rough he had ordered and the background colors varied from white to cream. He had one or two of the chocolate/tan background opals. He said they are supposed to be harder to cut because they are brittle and tend to break.

Laura

 

[beaujolais]

Thanks TL. Great site. I've been reading & trying to learn about opals lately. I've not seen this site, so now I've got more info to print & read.

Largosmom - It's in the mail right now to me. I hope it's a keeper. If so, I'll get you a photo. Thanks for asking. (333 posts is "new"? Nah.