Ethiopian opals are also quite expensive. The quality of an opal depends on numerous factors, such as its origin, color, brightness of the fire, fire pattern, clarity and level of transparency. Buy the best quality opal gemstones to make the most of your purchases. Opal's market value depends to a large extent on the gemstone's origin, color, clarity, color play, shape and carat weight.
Due to the popularity of opal stone in the Indian and international market, the cost of opal is also affected by the supply and demand cycle. Ethiopian opal, especially Ethiopian Welo opal, is a variety of hydrophan, meaning it absorbs water or moisture. Every time these opals are submerged in water or overexposed to moisture, they “lose” their fire. However, once dried under natural conditions, opal retains its original color and condition.
It is important to note that artificial attempts to speed up the drying process should be avoided, as it can create some internal cracks inside the opal crystal and will destroy its beauty. Even with these factors at play, Australian opal prices vary depending on where you buy it, how the miner evaluates it and what type of opal it is. For those who believe in the metaphysical properties of, Opal is like a blessing wrapped in beauty that helps the wearer cope with life's difficult situations. A crack in the face can make an opal that otherwise could have been worth a considerable amount per car almost worthless.
Unlike many other valuable items, prices for opal stone around the world are not set by agreement between cartel members, but rather, what merchants and merchants are actually achieving. Lightning Ridge Australian black opal is held in high esteem and serves as a yardstick for measuring all other opals. A crack in the face can make an opal worthless, which otherwise could have been worth a considerable amount. These opals take on their blue color from finely scattered inclusions of chrysocolla, a copper phyllosilicate mineral.
This 203-carat crystal opal is set in a diamond-studded necklace with a matching pair of smaller opal earrings, as well as two more that became cufflinks for Prince Philip. An opal that shows a full spectrum of colors in fire is best considered from an astrological perspective. Synthetic or laboratory-created opals are real opals, but they are grown in laboratories rather than underground. In general, opals with a black or dark body tone are more valuable than those with a white, light, or crystalline body tone, because a stone with a darker body tone tends to show more vibrant colors.
A famous crystal opal known as the virgin rainbow has 72 carats and is worth around a million dollars. Red (fire) opal is generally more valuable than a mainly green opal which, in turn, is more valuable than a stone that shows only blue color.
