Quality

The beauty of the best quality Australian Opal gemstone is not only derived from its mesmerizing ‘play of colour’ but also from its varied body hue, high stability, and good clarity, like Opals from no other origin. The quality of an Australian Precious Opal adheres to a variety of factors including its type, colour, the play of colour, clarity, and shape. These factors should be considered while selecting the best quality Australian Opal.

• Type 
  A huge variety of Opals are found in Australia including white Opal, black Opal, fire Opal, pink Opal, boulder Opal, white rainbow Opal, boulder Opal and blue Opal etc. Amongst all these varieties, Natural Black Australian Opal and White Australian Opal are considered the most popular and highly valuable species.
• Body colour
  Australian Opal mines resource natural Opal gemstone in a variety of body tones ranging from colorless, white, black to red, orange, yellow, brown and grey. Usually, the Australian Opal gems in darker body shades or nearly black backgrounds are considered most valuable because it displays the rainbow colour more beautifully. However, due to the astrological significance, White Australian Opal stones are considered equally desirable and are always in demand.
• Play of colour 
  The distribution, pattern, intensity and overall colour combination collectively define the quality of the play of colour effect. Generally, the more intense, vivid and evenly distributed is the play of colour, higher is the Australian Opal quality.
• Clarity 
  Clarity in the Australian Opal gemstone is judged by the level of transparency and inclusions present in it. The presence of spots, scratches and cracks within the Opal stone can dramatically reduce its quality and overall value. The presence of natural inclusions (flaws) such as patches, visible crystals in transparent Opals, windows (transparent areas) in black and white Opal and ironstone patches on white Opal areas reduce the quality of these gemstones. Smooth and clean pieces are always considered as an ideal option.
• Shape
  The final cut of Opal gemstone depends upon the shape of the Australian Opal rough. The raw Australian Opal is mostly polished and shaped as round and oval cabochons (non-faceted gems with one-sided domes). Australian Opal cabochon offering the best display of the Opal’s characteristics and less vulnerable to damage can be an ideal selection for jewellery.

The value of Australian Opal depends on numerous factors. The type of Opal, its body colour, pattern, quality of play of colour, clarity, shape and carat weight, all play important roles in determining the cost of an Australian Opal gemstone.

Note – The price of an Australian Opal in India starts from Rs 800 per carat and reaches up to Rs 7000 per carat and more. The prices in other countries like the US, UK or UAE may differ significantly because of the variation in demand cycle.

• Type 
  Australia Black Opal value remains the highest due to its high-end beauty and rarity. Australian White Opal price depends largely upon its quality of tone and pattern. As long as the Australian Boulder Opal prices are concerned, it relies upon the ratio of the surface with the play of colour versus ‘brown’ matrix. Boulder Opal with more colours is generally bright and more value.
• Colour 
  In Australian Opals, the brilliance and tone of the body colour create a large impact on the value of this gemstone. The more intense and saturated is the better, higher will be the Australian Opal price in the market. This could be the reason why Australia Black Opal value can be slightly higher than the value of Australian White Opals.
• Play of colour
  Australian Opal stone price also depends upon the ratio and quality of the play-of-colour. The more intense and widely distributed is the colour play of colour, higher will be the Australian Opal cost. The range of colour, dominance of certain hues and patterns also affects the Australian Opal prices in the market.
• Clarity 
  Generally, the smoother and free inclusions is the gem, higher will be the Australian Opal stone price in the market. The presence of cracks, pits, groves on the surface and internal flaws such as visible crystals and colour zoning often reduce the quality and overall worth of the Australian Opal gemstone in the market.
• Shape 
  Most of the Australian Opals are cut in the round and oval cabochons to bring out the best colour and brilliance. Stones with good symmetry and perfect domes appear quite beautiful and always fetch a premium value.
• Carat weight  
  Australian Opal price per carat may accelerate exponentially with increase in carat weights. This is because it is relatively difficult to find Opals with consistent body colour and play-of-colour effect.