Source your opal beads direct from opal wholesalers and or/opal jewelry manufactures.
Most opal beads are Boulder Opal, but black-faceted or crystal fire opal beads are also available.
Opal beads can be hung on a leather cord or combined with other gemstones. Crystal-opal or Matrix-opal beads are keenly sought-after, as the unique qualities of the beads make it difficult to create good matching sets.
Look for uniformity of drilling, either from top to bottom or sideways and many opals beads vary in size as crystal beads are mostly small sizes and boulder beads are large sizes..
Opal Bead wholesalers and Opal bead manufactures on OpalAuctions are Opalmania.,Quality opals, True Blue Opals, Fossil Opals, Queen of Gems.
These companies specialize in Australian Opal beads including Black opal beads and African honey opal beads to Ethiopian opal beads as well as Australian white opal beads
Necklaces with opal gemstone beads can have opal beads as focal bead or as multi gemstone necklace.
Faceted boulder opal beads are large size beads and display ironstone pattern whereas crystal faceted opal beads display off opal colors mainly blue green colors.
White opal beads or fire coober pedy beads can be undulating in size for necklace
Peruvian opal beads display deep sea blue green colours and some Peruvian blue opal beads are treated, check with opal supplier before bidding and ask any questions before placing a bid.
Inlay opal beads have natural crystal opal from lightning ridge inlaid into host rock ironstone which has natural unique patterns. Some inlay beads are similar to doublets but opal crystal is inlaid a sin sandstone or shin cracker potch.
Opal bead strands can also be of opal chips with hole drilled and opal are tumbled polished to matrix opal beads and fairy opal beads that display strong colors.