Generally opals with a black or dark body tone are more valuable than those with a white, light, or crystal body tone, because a stone with a darker body tone tends to display colours more vibrantly. Black opal is the most prized opal and may realise prices over AUD $15,000 a carat.
How can you tell if an opal is raw?
Doublets and triplets usually look darker and more opaque than real opal as they have a non-opal layer attached to the back. Solid natural opals, in contrast, are transparent or white. From a side view, a real opal should look solid. Doublets and triplets, however, will look layered.
Are opal stones worth anything?
Generally, opals with a black or dark body tone are more valuable than those with a white, light, or crystal body tone, because a stone with a darker body tone tends to display colors more vibrantly. Black opal is the most prized type of opal and may earn prices over $10,000 USD a carat.
What is a raw opal?
These are all natural precious opal gemstones in their original state, without any treatments. These are strong, stable opals that won't easily fall apart or crumble as you can cut, sand, polish, and carve them into the shape you need for your own custom opal jewelry creation.
How much are raw opals worth?
Black Opal prices vary from roughly $30 per half carat, up to $1,500 per carat. This is only the . 5-1 carat range. High quality Black Opals weighing 5-10 carats can cost up to $50,000.
How do I know how much my opal is worth?
The value of an opal depends on many factors. The type of opal, body tone, brilliance, pattern, colour bar thickness, the play of colour, and faults all play important roles in determining the value. Other important factors include the quality of the cut & polish, and the size of the stone.
How much does opal cost?
Once categorized, opals are sold in price per carat, or weight. Because there are so many opal fields in Australia, there really is no singular form of opal. This means that opal costs can vary from about $10 per carat to approximately $6,000 per carat.
What colour opals are the most valuable?
The 'dominant colour' in an opal can affect its value, with red commanding the highest cost, followed by orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. However, do not forget, a blue-green brilliant stone will be more valuable than a dull red.
How much is Australian opal worth?
Australian Opal Value Per Carat This means that opal costs can vary from about $10 per carat to approximately $6,000 per carat. To hone in on how expensive Australian Opal is, it's smart to narrow your search by a specific type of opal.
Why is Australian opal so expensive?
The distribution and intensity of these colorful flashes are what gives the determination of its costing. The opal stone is mainly found in Australia, where the mines supply up to almost all of the global opals gemstones. This is another factor that makes the gemstone more expensive as compared to the others.