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 » Colored Stones
»  » Black Opals
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Black Opals |
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| P: 12/31/2006 12:00:31 PM | |
tahitiangirl Rough Rock Total Posts: 24 Last Post: 12/21/2008 Member Since: 9/3/2006 |
Hello everyone. I was just wondering if there were any opal experts in the forum and if so, I would like find out all I can about black opals. Pictures would be awesome!
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| Posted: 12/31/2006 12:00:31 PM | |
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There are 20 replies to this message. There are 20 replies on this page. |
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| P: 1/1/2007 8:57:39 PM | |
scarleta Ideal Rock Total Posts: 1,545 Last Post: 9/20/2009 Member Since: 2/25/2006 |
what do you want to know about them?
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| Posted: 1/1/2007 8:57:39 PM | |
| P: 1/1/2007 9:03:25 PM | |
kristy_lyn Cut Rock Total Posts: 173 Last Post: 10/26/2007 Member Since: 6/19/2006 |
Check out these neat opal earrings...! http://www.rwwise.com/index_content.html
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| Posted: 1/1/2007 9:03:25 PM | |
| P: 1/2/2007 3:14:48 PM | |
Richard M. Ideal Rock Total Posts: 929 Last Post: 11/22/2009 Member Since: 2/17/2004 |
Date: 12/31/2006 12:00:31 PM Author:tahitiangirl I would like find out all I can about black opals. Pictures would be awesome! Books are probably the best way of gaining the specific knowledge you seek. An excellent all-around book on precious opal is "Opals" in the Fred Ward Gem Books Series. It's available at low cost from Amazon, EBay and many other on-line sources. It has many illustrations of precious opal of all types: light, dark and black. Richard M. |
| Posted: 1/2/2007 3:14:48 PM | |
| P: 1/2/2007 7:03:00 PM | |
fafa Cut Rock Total Posts: 257 Last Post: 9/18/2009 Member Since: 3/21/2006 |
A book like Richard suggested is a good way to learn about opals. Here are some links of basic info I found when I was researching a while ago. http://www.opal.asn.au/information.htm http://www.gia.edu/library/15534/featured_gemstone__opal.cfm http://www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/english/opal.html http://www.gemstone.org/image_library_frameset.html http://www.opalsdownunder.com.au/learn.php
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| Posted: 1/2/2007 7:03:00 PM | |
| P: 1/2/2007 11:41:01 PM | |
Richard Sherwood Ideal Rock Total Posts: 4,879 Last Post: 11/23/2009 Member Since: 9/25/2002 |
God I love black opals. The Queen of gems. Alive, like no other. Len Cramer has an awesome book showing opals of all personalities. Then Paul Downing has a great book on judging quality. There's a couple of intense websites out there too, which I can't remember at the moment. A search should pull them up easily enough though. Richard M. is always a good source as well. He's probably forgotten more about black opals than I've ever remembered. Rich, Independent GG Appraiser |
| Posted: 1/2/2007 11:41:01 PM | |
| P: 1/12/2007 7:33:48 PM | |
rjdodd Cut Rock Total Posts: 108 Last Post: 4/19/2007 Member Since: 1/4/2007 |
Not that I'm going to add much to this... This is my wife's opal, I believe it's a black opal. The most amazing stone I've ever seen, the photo really doesn't do it justice. It can flash pink, blue, green and shades in between depending on what the light is like, the angle, and what my wife is wearing. [Argh! Can't figure out how to change the photo - the color profitle is wrong (ProPhotoRGB instead of sRGB). The opal is much more saturated in reality.] 
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| Posted: 1/12/2007 7:33:48 PM | |
| P: 1/12/2007 8:39:14 PM | |
widget Ideal Rock Total Posts: 4,254 Last Post: 12/20/2008 Member Since: 11/12/2004 |
Wow, it's beautiful, rj!!!!! And the mounting is fabulous. Did you design it, by any chance? Thanks for sharing! widget
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| Posted: 1/12/2007 8:39:14 PM | |
| P: 1/12/2007 9:16:55 PM | |
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rjdodd Cut Rock Total Posts: 108 Last Post: 4/19/2007 Member Since: 1/4/2007 |
Date: 1/12/2007 8:39:14 PM Author: widget Wow, it's beautiful, rj!!!!! And the mounting is fabulous. Did you design it, by any chance? Thanks for sharing! widget Thanks widget. Nope, didn't design it - blind luck really. Saw it in a store when on Vacation in Fiji last January, both me and my wife stopped to stare at it. I went back to buy it later in the week for valentines day. The setting is 18k white gold, and I should have dusted it before taking the photo.
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| Posted: 1/12/2007 9:16:55 PM | |
| P: 1/12/2007 11:18:02 PM | |
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scarleta Ideal Rock Total Posts: 1,545 Last Post: 9/20/2009 Member Since: 2/25/2006 |
Would it be ok if you share with us the cost of this beauty? no worries if you can't we are just curious? Thanks and whatever the cost of it was it trully is a beauty..and quite large about 6 car? right?
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| Posted: 1/12/2007 11:18:02 PM | |
| P: 1/13/2007 9:28:52 AM | |
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rjdodd Cut Rock Total Posts: 108 Last Post: 4/19/2007 Member Since: 1/4/2007 |
scarleta, I paid roughly US$2500, maybe a tiny bit more. Anyone with more knowledge that me care to take a guess as to whether I was ripped off? To be honest I have no ideal what's it's 'worth' other than my wife loves and wears it alot (pretty much every day), which is all that really matters. Never been appraised - probably not agood idea but I'm unsure if there is anyone in my city who could accurately value it. It's 18mm (at longest) x 8mm x 2.5mm - not sure how many ct that makes it (it came with a little info card that I can't find now, was not a lab cert. or anything).
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| Posted: 1/13/2007 9:28:52 AM | |
| P: 1/13/2007 10:06:31 AM | |
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Richard Sherwood Ideal Rock Total Posts: 4,879 Last Post: 11/23/2009 Member Since: 9/25/2002 |
Hi RJ. That looks to be a nice "boulder black", which is a "boulder opal" having a thin layer of opal on top and the rest of the stone being the ironstone the opal formed on. When you look at the back is it a different material? Boulder blacks are usually from the Queensland mine region, and can be quite spectacular in the intensity and "mix" of color. They're also quite reasonable for the visual presentation they put out. It's tough to judge the play-of-color from the picture, but it looks like you probably paid a reasonable price for a fine quality boulder black. Rich, Independent GG Appraiser |
| Posted: 1/13/2007 10:06:31 AM | |
| P: 1/13/2007 10:16:51 AM | |
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rjdodd Cut Rock Total Posts: 108 Last Post: 4/19/2007 Member Since: 1/4/2007 |
Thanks Rich. The back of the stone is definetly not the same material - basically looks like the colorful / shiny material is attached to a piece of slate, seems to tfit the bill for boulder if I'm understanding you correctly. If you don't mind me asking - how specialized is appraisal of an item like this? Should a local appraiser be able to do a good job or do I need to do something else? It's currently uninsured, it's not on the household schedule and is over the limit to be an 'assorted' household item. Thanks, and sorry tahitiangirl for hijacking you thread.
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| Posted: 1/13/2007 10:16:51 AM | |
| P: 1/13/2007 1:47:11 PM | |
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scarleta Ideal Rock Total Posts: 1,545 Last Post: 9/20/2009 Member Since: 2/25/2006 |
Hello: thanks for sharing the price with us.I love opals and have few also, It looks like you did well financialy.As for appraisal it can be tricky to find an opal specialist.I gave up on this idea as everyone I showed it to had a totally different idea as to what it should be appraised at. Your wife loves it and no matter what you will never find same piece again no matter how hard you tried.Enjoy it and do not plan to loose it...Thanks again
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| Posted: 1/13/2007 1:47:11 PM | |
| P: 1/13/2007 4:37:26 PM | |
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Richard Sherwood Ideal Rock Total Posts: 4,879 Last Post: 11/23/2009 Member Since: 9/25/2002 |
Date: 1/13/2007 10:16:51 AM Author: rjdodd If you don't mind me asking - how specialized is appraisal of an item like this? Should a local appraiser be able to do a good job or do I need to do something else? It's pretty specialized. Appraisers experienced in opal are difficult to find, and boulder opal is another category still. Most appraisers could do a good description for you, it's just market value which is the tough thing for them. If you furnish a local appraiser with a copy of your invoice, he or she could give you a good description of the piece along with their analysis of the opal, and use your purchase price as a benchmark to work from, checking it against whatever comparables they can find to satisfy themselves it seems reasonable. Rich, Independent GG Appraiser |
| Posted: 1/13/2007 4:37:26 PM | |
| P: 1/14/2007 5:14:52 PM | |
Art Nouveau Cut Rock Total Posts: 470 Last Post: 10/26/2009 Member Since: 12/5/2004 |
Here is a picture of my boulder opal pendant. I bought the opal loose from Sidney over 10 years ago. It measures ~1.25 by 0.8 inches. It flashes intense green and blue. It si very bright, has nice 'play of color' and a lot of depth. I paid ~$4,000 for it and I have no idea if I paid too much as I have never seen a piece of boulder opal this quality in the US. I designed the pendant and it was custom made for me by a jewler in Seattle. It was never appraised as most local appraisers have no idea how to price something like this. Real boulder opal is opal matrix still attached to the boulder. If you look at the bottom of the stone, it looks like polished rock. There are lots of cheaper doublets and triplets around. If you look the back of these, you will usually see a flat layer of black onyx. Ther is a big difference in the price. Black opal without any boulder attached, is the most expensive and these are usually cut as cabochons. They come in many colors and many patterns and good ones are gorgeous and mesmerizing to look at. AN 
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| Posted: 1/14/2007 5:14:52 PM | |
| P: 1/14/2007 6:07:17 PM | |
Kaleigh Ideal Rock Total Posts: 25,920 Last Post: 11/24/2009 Member Since: 11/18/2004 |
Rj and Art Nouveau, those are both lovely pendants. Just yummy!!!!
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| Posted: 1/14/2007 6:07:17 PM | |
| P: 1/14/2007 9:07:37 PM | |
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scarleta Ideal Rock Total Posts: 1,545 Last Post: 9/20/2009 Member Since: 2/25/2006 |
Lovely design really a nice piece.
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| Posted: 1/14/2007 9:07:37 PM | |
| P: 1/21/2007 6:34:00 PM | |
The Joker Cut Rock Total Posts: 187 Last Post: 7/29/2009 Member Since: 10/25/2003 |
Anyone else see the Travel Channel's show that was filmed at one of the Opal mines in the Virgin Valley of Nevada. They showed one black opal specimen that must have weighed 50 lbs. Joker.... Terry Murray (AKA: The Joker) |
| Posted: 1/21/2007 6:34:00 PM | |
| P: 1/30/2007 7:11:34 PM | |
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scarleta Ideal Rock Total Posts: 1,545 Last Post: 9/20/2009 Member Since: 2/25/2006 |
Would relly like to see that one..Do you know where we can look at it?
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| Posted: 1/30/2007 7:11:34 PM | |
| P: 1/31/2007 2:17:06 PM | |
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The Joker Cut Rock Total Posts: 187 Last Post: 7/29/2009 Member Since: 10/25/2003 |
I did remember to punch the record button that afternoon, so I have a video of that show. Here is a picture of one "Black Opal" specimen I saw the last time I was at Virgin Valley. The one on the Travel Channel's show was much, much larger. The Joker....  Terry Murray (AKA: The Joker) |
| Posted: 1/31/2007 2:17:06 PM | |
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