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About Black Opal

BLACK OPALS are considered the LUCKY stone.

BLACK OPALS -are gemstones that had been known to symbolise truth,

happiness and Hope.

Black Opals come in different colors like black opal which is highly sought after.

Black Opals can be yellow, sunset orange, blue, purple and red. And has all the colors of the rainbow.

Black Opals are well known for its play of colours, depending on how the flashes of

colours are viewed from different angles caused by the light that is infused into

the stone.

Black Opals in the olden times have been considered to enhance faithfulness

and self confidence.

Black Opals are gemstones known to protect one from evil when worn near the

heart as a pendant or brooch.

Opals are unique as there are no two opals alike.

BLACK OPALS, predominantly red on black. The black forming the base of the red

colour.

Black opals can also be dark grey, dark blue, dark green, red, gray black, purples

sunset orange.

BLACK OPAL MINING

Australia producers 97 % of the worlds black opal with most of it found in a 79 kilometre area around Lightning ridge. Many people are surprised to find that only a small percentage of Black opal is found when you mine. When a miner tails out his wash he will get a mixture of black ,crystal and grey rough. The black rough can vary from 10 to 50% of a wash. Some claims only produce crystals while others may only yield shell fossils. The rarest colour is red on  black which is below 1% of production on the field. Many other fields produce red stones but on a grey or lighter base so they are not as rare as a true black opal-check out the body tone chart in the opal section of OpalAuctions.

At the ridge you find Nobby opal or seam opal gem black opal. The highest prices are achieved for Nobby opals as usually the body tone is higher and there is a good dome on the stone. Seam opal  usually has a thinner colour bar but it can have some amazing patterns in them. Each opal field usually has its own character –some fields have gypsum or inclusions in them.

The depth a opal is found is important as usually opals mined at deep depths have a high water content. Black opal is also found in Virgin valley USA –This material is very pretty but mostly unstable. The theory here is that is was a volcanic area and the hot water table rose to fill the vegetation voids. There has also been some black opal has been found in Welo Ethiopian. While not a true N1 blackness it would rate N3 of the body tone scale.

Small pockets of black opal have been mined in Coober Pedy which is known as white opal only, but these pockets are small in size.

Black opal is from Lightning Ridge, Australia. Solid natural gem  black opals are the rarest opals in the world. It is very rare to get two opals of the same colour and brightness.

Red fire is the rarest colour followed by orange, greens and blues. Opal varies in different shades and patterns making this one of the most unique gems in the world. The more cabochon the stone and more unique pattern, like harlequin or mackerel, the more expensive the opal.

Black opal is graded in colour density  as Body Tone from N1 to N5, N1 being the darkest and N5 the lightest.

The Lightning Ridge Opal Show, home of the black opal is held every August. Every second year a jewellery competition is held.

Only a few black opal mines are open cut as it is very expensive. Most mines are worked by teams in traditional methods with vacuum blowers, agitators and jack hammers. Old opal fields such as Cochran and Glengarry have been completely worked but there are still miners looking for opal pockets of that elusive black opal gem!

Worlds largest black opal. Many opals have been marketed as worlds largest black opal, In reality the thickness of the potch on the black opal can add extra weight  and some of these large black opals have had large base. Some recognized large black opals include FLAMINGO a 800 carats gem black opal, Glorious Jubilee a 755 gem black opal,HALEYS COMET a 2000 carat black opal.

Free Opal Screen savers are available on OpalAuctions as black opal grading and pattern and body tone charts and also a beautiful rare opal fossil screen saver .

Images include some of the rarest opal patterns including Harlequin pattern, Ribbon pattern, Floral pattern, Chinese writing, Flagstone pattern, Chaff pattern,Broadflash pattern, Rolling mackerel pattern.

An opal miner would be lucky if he found one harlequin pattern opal in his lifetime!

Gem  black opals are so rare and more scarce than diamonds. Red fire gem colour opals will always be highly collectible as they are just so rare and magnificent to own.

Source your black opals direct from opal miners, opal wholesalers and dealers on Opal Auctions.

Black opals are also known as rarest opal, Semi black opals, Lightning ridge black opals, solid black opal. Gem black opals are also known as fire opal, fire black opal, red fire opal, multi fire opal.

Opal pricing is undertaken by the Lightning ridge miners association and they value opals most weekends for opal miners. Black opals are considered as an investment gemstone and museum grade opals are highly collectible.

Opal is the Birthstone for October.

More about Black Opal.