About Welo/Gondar Opals

In the early 1990s a new type of opal surfaced in Mezezo Ethiopia Africa which was called Chocolate opal because of the chocolate colour inside the nodule.These opals are found in a round nodular form with in a 3 meter thick layer of welded volcanic ash. Only about 1% of these nodules contain colour.The colours are very striking with red being common and blue quite rare which is the opposite to Australian opals.It has some magnificent patterns and brilliant colours.

Then a new field was found in Gondar which was at first called desert opal but it is from a plateau in the highlands.The main field which is creating a lot of excitement now is from a field called Welo.This is found in a plateau 2500 to 3299 meters.Only the locals are allowed to mine this field and the govterment has even supplied basic tools.They work the horizontal level of these steep mountains and unfortuanely there has been fatalities due to the rock top collapsing.This field produces a variety of crystals, brown base and even black material. A very small percentage is called gum opal as if you wet your hand the opal sticks to it like gum!

A large majority of this material is hydrophane as if it is soaked in water the base colour can become clear increasing the play of colour or it can sometimes vanish.When dry this material is very bright.If it gets wet it may take a few weeks to dry out but don’t hurry the process.This is why some cutters cut it dry to prevent this.Some of the black stones would rate a N1 on the body tone chart and are quite spectular.

Good Ethiopian opals have diverse play of colours from Neon reds, oranges, green, blue, white, yellow, brown and contra luz fire.The are even colours that are not present in Australian opals like turquoise and indigos.

Ethiopian Opals, from North Africa, have only begun to be mined recently. However, anthropologists report that around 4,000 years BC, early man used opals to make tools, which means that Africa mined opals before Australia.

Most Ethiopian Opals are nobby-formed and have characteristically brown potch with bright red to green flashes of colour. These opals are not considered as stable as Australian opals because they may craze and have inclusions, but they are valued for their bright colours. Gondar is a new field only worked in the last few years and is more of a crystal formation than brown or dark-nodule Ethopian Opals.

Welo/Gondar Opals

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  Caramel Welo Opal...
  VOLCANI... $76.00 USD

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  Ethiopian Welo Opa...
  OpalEsc... $150.00 USD

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  Bright Honeycomb ...
  VOLCANI... $200.00 USD

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  Bright Welo Opal ...
  VOLCANI... $76.00 USD

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  - Welo Opal - Fi...
  VOLCANI... $51.00 USD

	Investment Grade Welo Opal - 11.3ct 18.6 x 16.9 x 7mm DeinOpal	- 44 minutes 20 seconds	$4,520.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	Rare Dark Honeycomb Welo Opal - 2.6 ct 13.4 x 9 x 5mm DeinOpal	- 44 minutes 20 seconds	$390.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	7.1c Ethiopian Welo Opal honeycomb //1151 18.7 x 11.25 x 6.88mm Bestgems	- 1 hour 4 minutes	$710.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	0.50ct NICE LITTLE SOLID ETHIOPIAN WELLO CRYSTAL OPAL !! OPALOPIA	- 1 hour 39 minutes	$10.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	1.05ct WONDERFUL SOLID ETHIOPIAN WELLO CRYSTAL OPAL !!! OPALOPIA	- 1 hour 44 minutes	$23.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	BEAUTIFUL 2.46CT FREEFORM ETHIOPIA WELO OPAL CABOCHON!! 12.8 x 7.6 x 5.5mm OpalCreations	- 1 hour 44 minutes	$19.95 USD View / Buy This Item
	0.50ct BEAUTIFUL SOLID ETHIOPIAN WELLO CRYSTAL OPAL ! ! OPALOPIA	- 1 hour 54 minutes	$12.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	0.50ct BEAUTIFUL SOLID ETHIOPIAN WELLO CRYSTAL GEM OPAL ! ! OPALOPIA	- 2 hours 4 minutes	$13.50 USD View / Buy This Item
	Cristal 3.2c rainbow drop 14.2 x 9.9 x 4.8mm Katka	- 2 hours 4 minutes	$180.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	Green and blue explosion floating in honey 9.5 x 7.4 x 3.3mm Katka	- 2 hours 4 minutes	$150.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	1.65ctDAZZLING BRIGHT SOLID WELO CRYSTAL MULTI FIRE GEM OPAL OPALOPIA	- 2 hours 4 minutes	$60.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	2.90ct STUNNING SOLID FREEFORM ETHIOPIAN WELLO GEM - PINFIRE OPALOPIA	- 2 hours 19 minutes	$65.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	0.90ct STRIKING BRIGHT FACET WELLO CRYSTAL GEM OPAL !!! OPALOPIA	- 2 hours 34 minutes	$60.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	1.6CT BRILLIANT WELO GEM W/ STREAKING COLORS!!! AussieGems	- 2 hours 44 minutes	$70.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	0.50ct MARVELLOUS BRIGHT MULTI FIRE SOLID WELLO CRYSTAL GEM OPALOPIA	- 2 hours 44 minutes	$18.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	2.80CT BRILLIANT WELO CRYSTAL OPAL GEM - MUST SEE VIDEO AussieGems	- 3 hours 9 minutes	$75.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	0.50ct NICE LITTLE SOLID ETHIOPIAN WELLO CRYSTAL OPAL !! OPALOPIA	- 3 hours 24 minutes	$8.50 USD View / Buy This Item
	BRILLIANT ETHIOPIAN WELO CRYSTAL OPAL CAB~HIGH DOME~2.31CT EyecandyOpals	- 3 hours 29 minutes	$230.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	1.00ct NICE SOLID ETHIOPIAN WELO CRYSTAL WITH A LITTLE COLOR OPALOPIA	- 3 hours 44 minutes	$10.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	WELO Opal Bright Lively PEAR 1.65 ct Green Red Orange Fire 13 x 8 x 4mm opalfireinfo	- 3 hours 44 minutes	$99.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	1.30ct SPARKLING SOLID ETHIOPIAN WELLO GEM OPAL !!! OPALOPIA	- 3 hours 44 minutes	$33.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	BRIGHT ETHIOPIAN WELO CRYSTAL OPAL~MIX PATTERN~2.82CT EyecandyOpals	- 3 hours 44 minutes	$240.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	0.55ct STUNNING BRIGHT MULTI COLOR WELLO FACET GEM OPAL OPALOPIA	- 3 hours 54 minutes	$45.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	0.85ct STUNNING DEEP RED FACET SOLID WELLO CRYSTAL GEM OPAL OPALOPIA	- 4 hours 9 minutes	$55.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	Welo Opal rough 7.8ct OpalsUK	- 4 hours 34 minutes	$16.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	1.05ct STUNNING BRIGHT SOLID ETHIOPIAN WELLO CRYSTAL GEM !! OPALOPIA	- 4 hours 39 minutes	$27.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	5.75ct green welo rough OpalsUK	- 4 hours 44 minutes	$15.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	3.10 CTS 5/5 SATURATED WELO OPAL -ETHIOPIA [VS5539 ] VOLCANICOPALS	- 4 hours 44 minutes	$225.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	2.40 CTS 5/5 SATURATED WELO OPAL -ETHIOPIA [VS5536 ] VOLCANICOPALS	- 4 hours 44 minutes	$199.00 USD View / Buy This Item
	3.30 CTS 5/5 SATURATED WELO OPAL -ETHIOPIA [VS5536 ] VOLCANICOPALS	- 4 hours 44 minutes	$225.00 USD View / Buy This Item
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