8 x 6 mm AUSTRALIAN OPAL WHOLESALE LAPIDARY

Opal is one of the five precious gems of the world, the others being sapphire, emerald, diamond and ruby. Like DNA, opals are unique and no two are exactly the same. There are many types of opal and they are all precious gems and very beautiful, namely crystal opal, white opal, black opal, boulder opal,  matrix opal, yowah nut opal.  Black opal tends to be the most rare although other factors such as brilliance, colour and pattern come into play. For example, a top quality, brilliant crystal opal with a range of colours will be of a higher quality  than a black opal of lower brilliance and less colour. So take care with internet sites which generalise about opal in suggesting that a black opal will always be better and higher quality than other type of opal.

 Brightness This relates to the brightness or brilliance of colour coming from the opal. Some opals will flash brightly and others will be more subtle and subdued. The rarity of colours within an opal follows the order (ROYGBIV) with red being the rarest and most valuable colour with orange , yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet following in value. However, remember the brilliance factor, such that a brilliant green may be more valuable than a less brilliant red.  Some opals have a predominant colour and others have a range of colours. All are precious, valuable and beautiful and there are opals to suit all tastes.

Shape and Cut  We have had many years experience in cutting a broad range of different types of opal and we take great care to optimise the colour, pattern and brilliance in each piece. We cut standard ( "calibrated ") size opals which will fit into standard size jewellery in all countries. We also cut "free form" shapes which are close to the natural shape of the stones as they came out of the ground.

Size ... Opals like diamonds and  other precious gems are measured by carat weight. Quality opal can command a price per carat similar to and quite often more than diamonds.