Black opal is ideal to carve exquisite hand carved opal specimens. As black opal forms with some natural potch or sand inclusions so that the carver can drill out the potch inclusion and hand carve a unique black opal specimen.
Due to the unique formation of each piece of opal rough, no two pieces will be the same, so the cutter first shapes the opal rough and cleans the opal to a stage known as a rub and this helps to decide on how the opal will be carved.
Sometimes the carver will see and animal or freeform artistic shape as the rough opal is so expensive they do not cut the opal away needlessly but shape the opal rough.
One carver shaped mermaid from rough opal that was actually formed as mermaid.
Black rough specimens are hand polished to display area of opal colour on the rough, so most or the black opal rough will be rough and only the colour hues will be polished.
These make great opal specimens for office desks and many have gap to fit business cards into the opal specimens.
Black opal is from Lightning Ridge, Australia. Solid natural 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 or more unique pattern, like harlequin or mackerel, the more expensive the opal.
Black opal is graded in colour density from N1 to N5, N5 being the darkest and N1 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!
Source your black opals direct from opal carvers,opal miners, opal wholesalers and dealers on Opal Auctions.
