Opal
Opaal, Opaali, Opál, Opala, Opalas, Opale, Ópalo, Đá opal, العقيق, オパール, Опал, 蛋白石, אופאל
Commonly known
rarer (so called collectors stones)
very rare (rarities)
relatively rare organic material
Links:
Excellent photos and informations about precious opals at www.oztrailia.de/opale.html
South Australian opal museums at www.flindersoutback.com
|
Formula: SiO2·n H2O
Mineral Class: Oxides Crystal System: amorph Mohs Scale: 5.5 - 6 Density (g/cm3): 1.9 - 2.3 Refractive index: 1.37 - 1.52 Colors: Typical opalescence (up to all colors) on a base of usually one color. Fluorescence: blue, green Pleochroism: - Largest Opal: “Olympic Australis”, mined in 1956 in the "Eight Mile" opal field in Coober Pedy, South Australia. This largest and most valuable ever being found precious opal weights 3.45 kg (= 17,000 ct), and measures 280 mm x 120 mm x 115 mm. It can be viewed at Altmann & Cherny's, 128 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, Australia. (Source: www.altmanncherny.com.au/olympic.htm) Deposits: worldwide Name: from the Sanskrit (India) word "upala" (predious stone), via Greek "opallios" (color change), and Roman "opalus" |
|
Ethiopian Opal
|
 |
|
Crystal Opal
Weight: 37.67 ct Origin: Ethiopia Photo by kind permission of © www.ravenstein-germany.com |
 |
|
Crystal Opal
Size: 1.68 x 1.67 x 0.95 cm Weight: 10.81 ct Origin: Yita Mt. / Menz Gishe Distr. / Shewa Prov. / Ethiopia Photo by kind permission of © www.crystal-treasure.com |
 |
|
Opal
Size: 0.91 x 0.70 x 0.45 cm Weight: 1.33 ct Origin: Ethiopia Foto mit freundlicher Erlaubnis von © www.bestminerals.com |
 |
 |
⇐ Intro Page ⇐ Gemstones
|
Australian Opal
- Map -
|
|
Black Opal Mineral
Origin: Lightning Ridge / New South Wales / Australia Photo by kind permission of © www.exceptionalminerals.com |
 |
|
Black Opal Ring
Opal: 2.36 ct, Lightning Ridge / New South Wales / Australia Diamond: 1 Gold: 18K Yellow gold Photo by kind permission of © www.opalsdownunder.com.au |
 |
|
Black Opal Rolling Flash Pattern
Weight: 30.86 ct Origin: Lightning Ridge / New South Wales / Australia Photo by kind permission of © www.opalsdownunder.com.au |
 |
|
Black Opal Ring
Opal: 3.63 ct, 1.22 x 1.0 cm, Lightning Ridge / New South Wales / Australia Diamonds: 22, total 0.22 ct Gold: 18K White and yellow gold Photo by kind permission of © www.africagems.com |
 |
|
Semi-black Opal Broad Flash Pattern
Weight: 56.50 ct Origin: Mintabie / South Australia / Australia Photo by kind permission of © www.opalsdownunder.com.au |
 |
|
White Opal
Weight: 18.95 ct Origin: Coober Pedy / South Australia / Australia Photo by kind permission of © opal-trader.com |
 |
|
White Opal Ring
Opal: 1.62 ct, Coober Pedy / South Australia / Australia Gold: 14K Yellow gold Photo by kind permission of © www.opalsdownunder.com.au |
 |
|
Crystal Opal
Weight: 68.00 ct Origin: Mintabie / South Australia / Australia Photo by kind permission of © opal-trader.com |
 |
|
Crystal Opal
Size: 2.11 x 1.6 x 0.67 cm Weight: 11.40 ct Origin: Australia Photo by kind permission of © www.palagems.com |
 |
|
Boulder Opal Mineral
Origin: Queensland / Australia Photo by kind permission of © skywalker.cochise.edu |
 |
|
Boulder Opal in Matrix
Origin: Koroit / Queensland / Australia Photo by kind permission of © www.cooperopals.com |
 |
|
Boulder Opal in Matrix
Origin: Koroit / Queensland / Australia Photo by kind permission of © www.cooperopals.com |
 |
|
Boulder Opal
Weight: 11.20 ct Origin: Winton / Queensland / Australia Photo by kind permission of © www.opalsdownunder.com.au |
 |
|
Boulder Opal Ring
Opal: 5.02 ct, Quilpie / Queensland / Australia Diamond: 1 Gold: 18K Yellow gold Photo by kind permission of © www.opalsdownunder.com.au |
 |
|
Opalized Shell
Origin: Andamooka / South Australia / Australia Photo by kind permission of © skywalker.cochise.edu |
 |
|
Opal "Nobby with Fire"
Size: 1.4 x 1.1 x 0.6 cm Weight: 4.93 ct Origin: Lightning Ridge / New South Wales / Australia Photo by kind permission of © JewelsRoughGems |
 |
⇐ Intro Page ⇐ Gemstones
|
Mexican Opal
|
|
Opal Mineral
Origin: Rodriguez Dam / Tijuana / Baja California / Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.irocks.com |
 |
|
Opal Mineral / "Hyalite" on Topaz / SW UV
Size: 1.5 x 1.0 x 1.0 cm Origin: Tepetate / San Luis Potosi / Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.kqminerals.com |
 |
 |
|
Opal
Size: 1.5 x 1.3 x 0.6 cm Weight: 7.25 ct Origin: Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.lucianabarbosa.com |
 |
|
Opal "Lloviznando"
Size of the rough Opal: 3.5 x 3.0 x 0.7 cm Size of the faceted Opal: 1.9 x 1.8 x 1.2 cm Weight of the faceted Opal: 22.47 ct Origin: Magdalena Mining District / Jalisco / Mexico Photo: Wimon Manorotkul, by kind permission of © www.palagems.com |
 |
|
Opal "Contra Luz"
Size: 1.41 x 0.73 x 0.45 cm Weight: 2.55 ct Origin: Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.wagner-edelsteine.de |
 |
 |
 |
|
Opal "Leopard Opal"
Size: 2.01 x 1.51 x 0.61 cm Weight: 11.65 ct Origin: Zimapán / Hidalgo / Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.gemfrance.com |
 |
 |
|
Fire Opal Mineral
Size: 1.66 x 1.11 x 0.99 cm Origin: Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.wagner-edelsteine,de |
 |
 |
 |
|
Fire Opal
Size: 3.21 x 2.21 cm Weight: 60.06 ct Origin: Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.rarestone.com |
 |
|
Fire Opal
Size: 0.8 x 0.8 x 0.5 cm Weight: 1.12 ct Origin: Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.wagner-edelsteine.de |
 |
 |
|
Fire Opal Mineral
Size: 2.5 x 0.7 x 0.5 cm Origin: Querétaro / Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.lucianabarbosa.com |
 |
 |
|
Fire Opal
Size: 2.54 x 2.38 x 1.56 cm Weight: 47.20 ct Origin: Campos Borges / Rio Grande do Sul / Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.edelsteine.at |
 |
 |
 |
|
Fire Opal
Size: 2.27 x 1.73 cm Weight: 21.46 ct Origin: Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.thegemtrader.com |
 |
|
Fire Opal
Size: 2.0 x 1.5 cm Weight: 12.87 ct Origin: Mexico Photo by kind permission of © www.thegemtrader.com |
 |
|
U.S. Opal
|
|
Opal
Size: 0.9 x 0.77 x 0.6 cm Weight: 2.0 ct Origin: Virgin Valley / Nevada / USA Photo by kind permission of © JewelsRoughGems |
 |
|
Opal
Size: 1.35 x 0.7 x 0.4 cm Weight: 2.19 ct Origin: Virgin Valley / Nevada / USA Photo by kind permission of © JewelsRoughGems |
 |
|
Fire Opal
Size: 0.90 cm Weight: 2.99 ct Origin: Oregon / USA Photo by kind permission of © www.rarestone.com |
 |
|
Fire Opal
Size: 1.15 cm Weight: 5.29 ct Origin: Sawtooth Mine / Idaho / USA Photo by kind permission of www.irocks.com |  |
|
Opal
Size: 0.8 x 0.45 cm Weight: 0.60 ct Origin: Idaho / USA Photo by kind permission of © www.thegemtrader.com |
 |
|
Opal
Size: 0.9 x 0.7 x 0.5 cm Weight: 1.30 ct Origin: Owyhee Dam / Lake Owyhee State Park / Malheur County / Oregon / USA Photo by kind permission of © www.lucianabarbosa.com |
 |
⇐ Intro Page ⇐ Gemstones
|
Peruvian Opal
|
 |
 |
|
Opal (Cu)
Size: 1.5 x 0.8 x 0.6 cm Weight: 4.10 ct Origin: Peru Photo by kind permission of © JewelsRoughGems |
 |
|
Opal (Cu)
Size: 0.70 x 0.52 cm Weight: 0.54 ct Origin: Andes Mts. / Peru Photo by kind permission of © www.irocks.com |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Opal Mineral
Size: 8.5 x 8.2 x 2.3 cm Origin: Boi Morto Mine / Pedro II / Piaui State / Northeast Region / Brazil Photo by kind permission of © www.irocks.com |
 |
|
Opal
Size: 1.15 x 0.82 cm Weight: 2.33 ct Origin: Niquelandia / Goias / Brazil Photo by kind permission of © www.irocks.com |
 |
|
Opal Mineral
Size: 5.2 x 2.6 x 2.1 cm Origin: Gracias A Dios / Honduras Photo by kind permission of © www.irocks.com |
 |
 |
|
Opal / Hyalite Mineral
Size: 5.4 x 4.3 x 3.8 cm Origin: Valeč / Karlovy Vary / Czech Republic Photo by kind permission of © www.irocks.com |
 |
|
Opal "Calderite"
Size: 0.42 x 0.27 cm Weight: 0.17 ct Origin: Shigar Valley / Gilgit-Baltistan / Pakistan Photo by kind permission of © www.irocks.com |
 |
⇐ Intro Page ⇐ Gemstones
|
Opal with Dendrites
Weight: 13.65 ct Origin: Bahia / Brazil Photo by kind permission of © http://lucianabarbosa.com |
 |
|
Opal with Dendrites
Weight: 42.33 ct Origin: India Photo by kind permission of © www.online-edelstein.de |
 |
 |
|
Opal Cat's Eye
Size: 1.16 x 0.99 x 0.73 cm Weight: 4.96 ct Origin: Tanzania Photo by kind permission of © www.wagner-edelsteine.de |
 |
 |
|
Opal Cat's Eye
Size: 0.5 x 0.6 cm Weight: 0.4 ct Origin: Bahia / Brazil Photo by kind permission of © www.lucianabarbosa.com |
 |
|
Opal Cat's Eye
Size: 0.5 x 0.7 cm Weight: 0.66 ct Origin: Bahia / Brazil Photo by kind permission of © www.lucianabarbosa.com |
 |
 |
 |
|
Opal bicolor
Size: 0.8 x 0.6 x 0.3 cm Weight: 0.85 ct Origin: Minas Gerais / Brazil Photo by kind permission of © www.lucianabarbosa.com, Luciana Barbosa. |
 |
⇐ Intro Page ⇐ Gemstones