Opal Lexicon

Opal Play of Colour: The Physics of the Glow

An opal’s properties begin with a contradiction: the stone contains not a single pigment and still glows in every colour.

Crystal Opal: Fire from Deep Within

Crystal opal is a transparent to translucent precious opal in which the play of colour glows as if from inside the stone.

White Opal: The Bright Classic

White opal is often underestimated, yet the light stone holds a play of colour that keeps up with costlier relatives, if you know what to look for.

Boulder Opal: Play of Colour on Ironstone

Boulder opal is nature itself: because it stays inseparable from its host rock, every stone is a small landscape, every vein and every crack tells...

Mexican Fire Opal: Flame in Orange and Red

Fire opal is the outlier among opals: instead of shimmering milky, it glows clear and warm like a sunset held still.

Welo Opal: Ethiopia's Bright Precious Opal

Welo opal has turned the jewellery market upside down in a few years. Few finds have made genuine opal fire accessible to so many people as the deposits in...

Black Opal: The King of Opals

Black opal is the rarest and most expensive opal in the world: a deep-dark gem in which red, green and blue flare like a thunderstorm at night.

Opal Types: All Opals Compared

There are many types of opal, and few gemstones are as varied as opal. Which type comes from where, how they differ and which one suits you, you will see...

Opal Care: Keeping the Fire Alive

Caring for your opal properly is simpler than its reputation suggests. You really only need to know one thing: how your stone stands with water.

How Much Is an Opal Worth?

What an opal is worth comes down to a few traits: play of colour, body tone and authenticity first.