Whether you're buying an opal for the first time or adding to your jewelry collection, selecting the right gemstone can be a daunting task due to the sheer variety of types, colours, and qualities available. This comprehensive guide will help you understand the key factors to consider when choosing the perfect opal.

Understanding Opal Types

Opals come in a variety of types, each with unique characteristics that contribute to their overall appearance and value. Here’s a breakdown of the most common opal types to help you choose the one that suits your preferences:

• White Opal: White opals have a light or milky body colour and are often distinguished by their gentle play of colour. This type of opal is relatively common and is usually sourced from Australian opal fields. While they might not display as vibrant a colour play as black opals, their soft, ethereal appearance is highly sought after for delicate jewelry designs.
• Black Opal: Known for their dark body tone, black opals offer the most vibrant and intense play of colour. The dark background enhances the brightness of the coloured flashes, making black opals the most valuable of all opal types. They are often found in Lightning Ridge, Australia, and are prized for their dramatic and bold appearance.
• Boulder Opal: This type of opal forms within the crevices of ironstone boulders, and the thin veins of opal are often left attached to the natural host rock. The combination of the colourful opal and the earthy ironstone base creates a striking contrast, making boulder opals a favourite for those who appreciate natural, organic designs.
• Crystal Opal: Crystal opals are either transparent or translucent, allowing light to pass through the stone, which enhances their play of colour. Their brilliance makes them one of the more valuable types of opals. Crystal opals can range from light to dark in body tone, adding to their versatility in jewelry.
• Fire Opal: Unlike other opals, fire opals often display little to no play of colour. Instead, they are known for their bright, fiery body colours, which range from yellow to deep red. These opals are primarily sourced from Mexico and are favored for their vibrant warm tones, which make them a striking choice for bold jewelry pieces.

Each opal type has its unique charm and appeal, making it essential to consider which type aligns with your personal style and the look you wish to achieve.

Undersanding Opal Quality

When choosing the perfect opal, it's essential to evaluate four main factors that influence the stone’s beauty and value: colour, clarity, cut, and carat weight. Each of these elements plays a crucial role in determining the overall appeal and quality of the opal.

Colour

Colour is the most defining characteristic of opals and is often the first aspect you’ll notice. Opals are unique because of their play of colour, a phenomenon caused by the diffraction of light through silica spheres in the stone. This creates flashes of varying hues, giving opals their signature rainbow effect. When assessing an opal's colour, consider the following:

• Play of Colour: The more vibrant and diverse the colour flashes, the more valuable the opal. High-quality opals display a full spectrum of colour, including reds, oranges, and violets, which are the rarest and most prized. Blue and green hues are more common but can still be stunning in a well-formed stone.
• Colour Intensity: Brightness is key when determining an opal’s quality. Stones with vivid, intense colour play are more valuable than those with faint or washed-out hues. Bright opals that maintain their colour under various lighting conditions are particularly prized.
• Even Distribution: The distribution of colour throughout the opal should be uniform. Opals with patches of strong colour over a large surface area are generally preferred over those with colour concentrated in small sections.
• Body Colour: In addition to the play of colour, the base or body colour of the opal influences its overall appearance. Opals with dark body tones, such as black opals, often show more vibrant colour flashes, while lighter stones like white opals have a more delicate colour play. Crystal opals, with their translucent bodies, can enhance the colours’ brightness.

Clarity

Clarity in opals refers to the transparency and presence (or absence) of inclusions or flaws. Opals can range from completely opaque to highly translucent or transparent, and the clarity of an opal can have a significant impact on its appearance.

Crystal opals, which are translucent or transparent, often exhibit a brighter, more intense play of colour due to their clarity. These opals allow light to pass through, amplifying the colour flashes within the stone.

While some inclusions are natural and expected in opals, large or numerous inclusions can detract from the stone’s overall beauty. Inclusions can take the form of cracks, spots, or other internal imperfections. The fewer inclusions an opal has, the higher its value.

One of the most detrimental clarity issues in opals is crazing, which is a network of fine cracks that can develop when an opal is exposed to extreme conditions, such as heat or dehydration. Crazing can severely impact the durability and appearance of the stone, so it’s important to choose an opal with no visible cracks or fractures.

Cut

The cut of an opal refers to the way the stone has been shaped and polished. Since opals are relatively soft compared to other gemstones, the cut plays a crucial role in both the aesthetic appeal and durability of the stone. Opals are typically cut into cabochons—rounded, domed shapes designed to enhance their play of colour.

A well-cut opal will have a smooth, domed surface that allows light to travel through the stone evenly, showcasing the play of colour. A higher dome generally means better colour reflection and a more desirable stone. Avoid flat or poorly polished stones, as they may not show the colours as vividly.

The symmetry of the cut is also important for ensuring the opal looks balanced and visually appealing. A well-cut stone will have even proportions and a uniform shape, which enhances its appearance in a piece of jewelry.

For solid opals, a thicker cut will often display better colour because the light has more depth to travel through. However, with thin opals, such as boulder opals that sit on ironstone, the colour can still be strong even if the opal layer is relatively thin.

Carat Weight

As with other gemstones, larger opals are generally more valuable, but the quality of the opal’s colour, clarity, and cut should be considered alongside its size.

While larger opals may command higher prices, a smaller opal with vibrant colour and excellent clarity can be more valuable than a larger stone with dull or uneven colour play. It’s essential to balance carat weight with the other quality factors to ensure you're getting the best value.

A well-proportioned opal will not only look good but also feel balanced when set in jewelry. The thickness of the stone, particularly for cabochons, can affect how large the opal appears. Thicker opals may display more intense colour play, even if they weigh less than a larger but flatter stone.

Larger opals can sometimes be more prone to damage, especially if they have a higher dome or are more brittle due to inclusions. When choosing a larger opal, be mindful of its durability, particularly if it will be worn in a ring or other piece of jewelry that may encounter daily wear.

Find the Perfect Opal for Your Custom Jewelry

Choosing the right opal is a personal and exciting journey, whether you're captivated by the fiery brilliance of a black opal or the delicate beauty of a white opal. By considering factors such as colour, clarity, cut, and carat weight, you can confidently select a stone that reflects your style and preferences.

At Jewelry Design House by Jivan, we offer a wide variety of high-quality opals to choose from, whether you’re looking for a striking centrepiece or a subtle accent stone. Our custom jewelry design service allows you to create a one-of-a-kind piece that perfectly complements the unique beauty of your chosen opal. From rings to necklaces, we work closely with you to design jewelry that is tailored to your vision, using only the finest opals available.