#ADULT DENDRITE OPAL HOW TO#

Price is usually the best way to determine if an opal is treated or man-made. It can result in beautiful stones, but they are treated. The resulting carbon deposit in the opal darkens the material, allowing for the internal fire to be seen more clearly. The process is pretty simple: the opal is wrapped in paper, and everything is heated until the paper begins to burn. Instead, you’ll usually receive a low-to-mid grade opal that’s undergone a smoking treatment. Actual Ethiopian Black Opals are extremely rare, and aren’t affordable for the average collector. These stones are sometimes sold as “Black Ethiopian Opal” but they’re inevitably treated. The most common bait-and-switch played on collectors is with smoked opal. Under a 10x loupe you may also note a cellular appearance in the pattern.įor that reason, it’s important to trust your source, especially when you’re new to collecting. The easiest way to identify them is by a regular pattern, often with columns and lines being the main feature. Man-made opals are sometimes passed as opal to the unwary.

Like all precious stones, it can be a buyer-beware situation. More than one person new to collecting has been burned by an opal dealer. In some cases, like the famed Harlequin Opal, it boils down to a specific pattern in the play of color. These vary based on the vendor and usually just describe the color of the stone. In addition to origin, opals are sometimes assigned descriptive names. Other precious opals occur sporadically as well. These opals are usually deep orange and clear. It often occurs in small pockets, and cutters will leave the matrix surrounding it to create a framed effect. Mexican Fire Opal is the other main source. It creates a flashing effect in jewelry that’s considered highly desirable. The difference is that this form of opal has a play of color that moves within the stone as the light hits different angles. Precious opal is an amazing stone, and it usually has a cost to match.

Madagascar Opal- Dark brown and black opal, often with white banding in between sections.Ĭommon opal of unknown provenance is usually just called by its color or pattern.

It ranges from lime to olive green, often with spotted patterns.

Green Opal- A variety of common opal commonly found in Madagascar.

Agate Opal- Opaque opal deposits that have banding resembling agates.

Pink and blue are the most common colors in this region, but it varies widely.

Peruvian Common Opal- A wide variety of colors exists within Peru.

Dendritic Opal- Dendritic common opal is usually white, and black tree formations emerge on the surface.

Silica and water tend to fill things in, and when the conditions are right… well, we get opal.įor the collector there are a few varieties to keep an eye out for: Opalized wood is fairly common, for instance. Some fossilized opal also comes into this category. It doesn’t compare to the fire of precious opal but it’s a pretty optical property. The most common opal has a characteristic glint on the surface when polished and shaped. The colors of all of these opals tend to be solid, with minor translucency in some cases. Common OpalĬommon opal ranges from white to pink to red to green. Many collectors go for both, and there’s a lot of variety within each group. What Types of Opal Are There?Īs noted above, there are two main varieties of opal. Opal is defined as amorphous, hydrated silica. The more fire, the more precious an opal usually is.īut despite the wide variety, the truth is that all opal is comprised of mostly the same stuff.

Precious opal, on the other hand, displays a fiery interior. Some common opal has a bit of clarity and inclusions like dendrites but it’s most often pretty solid. The colors tend to be muted, and there’s also a lot of white opals out there. 6%-10% is most common.Ĭommon opal is solid-colored, usually within the same hue. The moisture percentage ranges from 3% to 21%, but most are on the lower side. Opal is deposited at low temperatures and pressures compared to crystalline forms of silica. Opal is actually amorphous, like glass, rather than a true crystal. Opals, as a mineral, are comprised of SiO₂(or silica) with a high percentage of water.

#ADULT DENDRITE OPAL HOW TO#

We’re going to give you a crash course in collectin opals, running from what they are to how to pick them out in the field. For collectors, the problem is where to begin. Even common opal, with its light, milky colors is an awesome mineral. Contained within their crystals are worlds of fire, colored patterns, and wonder.

Adult dendrite opal