Black Opal

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The most valuable and coveted variety of precious opal, black opal is set apart by a dark body tone, ranging from dark gray to jet black, that intensifies the spectral play-of-color dancing across its surface. Its premier source is Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, Australia, which yields stones showing vivid red, green, blue, and purple fire against a near-black background. An amorphous form of hydrated silica, it measures 6.0 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale. Top-grade Lightning Ridge material can exceed the per-carat value of diamond; though classed among the semi-precious gems and priced in the moderate tier, the finest examples reach well beyond it, for the darkness of the background is precisely what allows the opal's fire to read so saturated.

Physical & Optical Properties

Category Semi-Precious Gems

Mohs Hardness 6,0 – 6,5

Specific Gravity 1,97 – 2,22

Refractive Index 1,37 – 1,47

Crystal System Amorphous

Luster Vitreous

Cleavage None

Fracture Conchoidal

Color white

Pleochroism Absent

Mohs Hardness

Mohs hardness of Black Opal shown against the ten reference minerals, from talc (1) to diamond (10).

Mohs	Reference mineral	Black Opal
1	Talc
2	Gypsum
3	Calcite
4	Fluorite
5	Apatite
6	Orthoclase	●
7	Quartz
8	Topaz
9	Corundum
10	Diamond

Crystal System

Value & Market

Price Tier Moderate ($50-500/ct)

Where to Buy Black Opal

Blue Nile Fine jewelry retailer

James Allen Gemstone jewelry

Brilliant Earth Ethically sourced gems

Amazon Wide selection

Links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

About Black Opal

A opala negra é a variedade mais preciosa e valorizada de todas as opalas, caracterizada por um fundo escuro (geralmente preto, cinzento escuro ou azul escuro) que realça de forma dramática as cores iridescentes do seu jogo de cores. Proveniente quase exclusivamente de Lightning Ridge, na Austrália, esta gema extraordinária pode exibir todos os espectros de cor com uma intensidade e brilho sem paralelo. Os exemplares de qualidade excepcional com jogo de cores vívido em fundo completamente negro atingem preços muito elevados, tornando a opala negra uma das gemas mais valiosas por quilate do mundo.