4 Critical Factors That Decide The Price Of Black Opals

Black opals were once considered as bad luck, but now they have become one of the most sought after gemstone in the world. There are many reasons for this particular gemstone to gain popularity. The most common reason is the vibrant hues the stones show on a dark coloured background. 

An Australian opal consists of uniform spheres of silica, which form a grid-like structure. The space between the spheres contains silica solution. When light passes through the spheres and hits the liquid, it is distracted, producing different rainbow hues. 

The colour play depends on size of spheres. A smaller round-shaped object results in blue colours, while orange and red will be result of large spheres. Uniform grid like structure results in more intense shades. 

Few factors that decide the price of an opal are:

• Transparency: The light crystal opal, a transparent gemstone, its colour patches can be seen below the surface. These specimens command a high price. The rarest and most valuable opal variety is the one that has dark body colour.


• Brightness and brilliance: These two factors play an important role in determining the price of the stone. Many colours flashing from a gemstone would not fetch a price like a gem with a high degree of brilliance.


• Colours: If the dominant colours in an opal are red, it attracts a high cost, when compared to other shades. The brightest colour of the rainbow is followed by orange, yellow, green, indigo and violet, in terms of price for an opal. A brilliant violet could gather more price than a dull red.


• Patterns: The diffraction of light with in opal causes interesting patterns to rise. These patterns, like colour, play a major role to increase or decrease the price. ‘Pinfire’ and small dot-like pattern are less in demand. Stripes, peacock feather shapes, broad brushstroke-like features can gather a huge price.

Some opal may come at a very low price, while others could cost thousands of dollars. It is very important to check the genuineness before making the purchase.