Need Help Finding Black Opal!

[researcher]

Here''s the background:

My grandmother''s name is Opal, and has a HUGE collection of gorgeous opals as a result. That being said, she has always preferred fire opals. Now, many of her stones come from some mine in Australia that no longer exists so my grandpa, wanting to get her a new opal for her 85th birthday, doesn''t know where to go. I''ve told him that Lightening Ridge is the best place I''ve heard of for black opals (which is what he''s hoping to buy this time around), but I honestly don''t know if that''s correct. And, even if it is, I don''t know where to look to find him a good deal on a GREAT opal!!!

I''ve found the following which look good to me but I have no clue. Please help!!!

http://www.africagems.com/inventory/opal/106.html
http://www.acstones.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=0&idproduct=671

BTW, is a doublet a bad thing? I know my grandma''s opals are all natural (not cut or enhanced) and she would frown on anything less.

Any and all advice is GREATLY (and I mean GREATLY) appreciated!!!

 

[researcher]

Nan was sweet enough to give me this link. Has anyone ever used this site?

 

[widget]

Hi researcher...I've certainly spent time on that site, but I've never dealt with them before...

I've been looking for an opal, on and off, for over a year...and I've decided buying one online is really tricky. What looks one way in a photograph shifts and looks entirely different when the opal is moved even a smidgen! But that is the nature of the beast, of course...

I've actually looked at and returned a couple opals...not because they were "bad" but because they were somehow "different" than I expected. Any way you can go to a gem show? I've pretty much decided that that's the only way I'm going to go from here on out...

Doublets are a great way to get a brilliant opal that's affordable. They are "natural", in that they are thin slivers of natural opal stuck on some other material...onyx, maybe? I don't know if they are usually treated...maybe an expert can help.

Sorry I can't be of more help!

widget

 

[valeria101]

Date: 10/19/2005 8:59:35 PM
Author: widget


I don''t know if they are usually treated...maybe an expert can help.

I am not the required expert, just wanted to pin up the question hoping for a good answer too

I know there are a couple of treatments for opals (staining matrix opal for sure and fracture filling I''ve heard of but never met).

 

[valeria101]

Date: 10/19/2005 3:41:21 PM
Author:researcher


My grandmother ... has always preferred fire opals.

Between the translucent fire opal she likes and the most prized black he is looking for, there is crystal opal

There is black crystal opal too. Could that be an option if the right piece comes around?




Now, many of her stones come from some mine in Australia that no longer exists

Which ? ... can''t wait for a long thread about opal!

 

[researcher]

Thanks for the responses! I talked to my grandpa, and he said he doesn''t want a doublet or anything. My grandma''s collection is just amazing, so he wants to get her something really special--not something that looks good but is not special. So, he''s not making this easy.

Widget, I think I will take your advice and visit Richard Martin of Martin Designs/Art Cut Gems to find a good stone

I was just hoping to find some sites with competitive pricing so I''d know if we were in the ballpark. I want this stone to be spectacular yet not break the bank!

 

[researcher]

I''ll have to ask which mine they''re from. All I know is that, when the mine closed, the price of her biggest opal (I think it''s 15cts) nearly doubled--or did double. Who knows? I didn''t pay much attention to the story because I knew that particular stone will be passed on to my mom before I get it. How horrible am I?!?!

I will ask my grandpa about the origin this week

 

[researcher]

Oh, no! In researching opals, I don''t think her favorites are the fire opals at all! I''m so confused

I think they''re the milk opals. I just thought they were fire opals because they have so much red and orange in them! Oh, man. I can''t believe I know so little about these stones as I''ve inherited 2 and will own lots more one day!

 

[Kaleigh]

researcher,
I hope you get the answers that you are looking for. I have always adored opals and have a few myself. Good luck on finding the prefect one for your grandma and if you can take pics of her collection. We rarely get to see them. Your grandpa sounds so sweet and thoughtful. maybe tomorrow you will get more help as it''s getting late on the east coast.

 

[widget]

You''re really teasing us, Researcher....UNKIND!!

We''d LOVE to see pictures of your Grandma''s collection...it sound fabulous!

widget

 

[researcher]

I will see if she will let me take pictures. A lot of her jewelry is in her safety deposit box so that may not be an option. But, she does wear plenty of opals on a daily basis!

 

[researcher]

Here''s what most of her opals look like. Not sure what they are now....

 

[researcher]

This is the sort of thing my grandpa would LOVE to get her....

 

[researcher]

Oh, and her opals are almost all ovals. I''m thinking it might be fun to get her a uniquely shaped pendant but we''ll see what my grandpa says

 

[valeria101]

Date: 10/19/2005 10:06:42 PM
Author: researcher
This is the sort of thing my grandpa would LOVE to get her....

I don't know the price range they are considering, but there should be some beautiful black opal for it. For some reason, my favorite colors are not the most expensive - blue and blue & green and how big does it have to be anyway?

Thinking of your previous post on this thread, Widget, 'thought I'd post this just in case anyone wonderred what photography does to opals beyond hiding instances of the rolling flash of some stones... Pretty amazing, no? For some reason, it is considered fair game to show the most advantageous light only and darkening the matrix color takes as little as a little push on contrast. Sometimes this is ok and does show one of the true looks of the stone, but it doesn't have to be. Depends on who took the picture.

It was the very dark body and obvious flash of the picture posted by Researcher that got me thinking. If that stone looks anywhere near that in person, that would be quite a sight.

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 10/19/2005 10:06:42 PM
Author: researcher
This is the sort of thing my grandpa would LOVE to get her....

grandpa has good taste!

btw, richard wise has some black and boulder opals for sale at his website [www.rwwise.com].....they ain''t cheap but they''re mighty pretty!


peace, movie zombie

 

[researcher]

I''m with you, Ana, but my grandma already has some of the blue/green opals and rarely wears them (red is her favorite color so they don''t match much of her clothing). One of my favorite opals that she rarely wears yet is really spectacular is primarily purple, blue, and green with touches of red

 

[researcher]

Thanks, MZ!
I''ll take a look....

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 10/19/2005 10:02:35 PM
Author: researcher
I will see if she will let me take pictures. A lot of her jewelry is in her safety deposit box so that may not be an option. But, she does wear plenty of opals on a daily basis!

A serious word of caution: opals and safety deposit boxes don''t get along! Bank vaults are dehumidified to prevent paper documents from deteriorating from mold, etc. But to maintain internal stability, opals need atmospheric humidity to recharge water lost to dehydration. Most stable opals have about 10% water in their makeup. I''ve seen more opals damaged from bank vault storage than any another reason except abuse.

The image you posted is beautiful. It''s a very valuable stone in today''s market. The price of precious opal has gone up enormously in the past 30 years.

Richard M.

 

[movie zombie]

btw, richard, your opal avatar is quite beautiful!

peace, movie zombie

 

[valeria101]

Date: 10/19/2005 11:16:52 PM
Author: Richard M.


A serious word of caution: opals and safety deposit boxes don't get along! Bank vaults are dehumidified to prevent paper documents from deteriorating from mold, etc. But to maintain internal stability, opals need atmospheric humidity to recharge water lost to dehydration.

I've logged on back just to say this... Perhaps they wold consider taking the hoard out of the black box for a dip and some pictures ?

And one more thing. I don't know nice places on the Web showing opals, but instictively

ran a search as soon as the thread came out for a favorite name 'Andamooka'. Of the load dumped by Google THIS stood out. It is aparently a miners' website with stacks of rough opal and a few other intriguing things.

Actually, there are quite a few such locals' websites and I am not surprised given the way small-scale opal mining goes. Too bad there aren't more Aussies around this forum. 'Loonewoodminer' was one - with his blue sapphires. Hopefully someone else is already lurking around with a stash of great black opal. One can only hope...

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 10/19/2005 11:59:26 PM
Author: movie zombie
btw, richard, your opal avatar is quite beautiful!

Thanks. It''s a 7+ carat piece of very fine Mintabie crystal with some of the most unusual colors I''ve seen in many years of cutting opal. Check out the Mintabie opals in Ana''s link.

Richard M.

 

[The Joker]

Oh Good!!! A thread on Opal.

Here''s a pair of black opal ear rings I made for my daughter in Atlanta.

There are some magnificent black opals coming out of some of the opal mines in Virgin Valley, Nevada.

Joker....

 

[Sagebrush]

Researcher,

I noted your preference for red. Please be advised that in the evaluation/appreciation/pricing of opal there are stones with substantial red (scarlet) and then there is everything else. Red is the rarest and most expensive color in opal. A bit of true red can raise the price of a stone by a factor or 4x.

Best of luck in your search.

 

[jszweda]

Hi!

I do know a little about black opals, and I haven''t looked at the 2 links you gave just yet. To give you an idea as to what to look for, the really really awesome ones have every color in the rainbow in them, and you don''t see a whole lot of black except for the bottom maybe. They are called black as the white you see on most opals is black. It''s due to volcanic ash and carbon deposits. Some of them will have a blue-green hue to them instead of that milky white look. They are called black though as there is a certain amount of ash that gives it that color, and you might find some vien on the back of one if you see a natural black opal like that.

Good black opals are not cheap! They are psycho money usually, unless you happen to find someone who is letting one go cheap like on eBay or some of these jewelry shows. You typically won''t find them on a retail level here in the US simply because they are so pricey and the Japaneese supposedly love those things. So they get shipped over there right away.

As for doublets being bad or good, it''s OK as long as the seller discloses that. Because black opals are so expensive, what manufacturers will do is they will put a piece of black onyx or millstone behind a white opal. That gives it the appearance of a natrual black opal. They might even put a quartz coating over it to protect it, in which case it''s a triplet. If you buy a doublet or a triplet, they look like black opals but they are not. They are white opals, but that black backing gives it the look of a black for a lot less.

Just to give you an idea, take one of the pieces from your grandmothers collection, and place it on something black such that the black is directly behind the base of the stone without interference. You''ll see it will look more blue and it will bring out the fire in it.

If you want a good opal, try and find something from the lighting ridge area of Australia. I think AJSgems.com might have some black ones too. I am not sure on that, but I know he has some nice opals. Otherwise if you can''t find anything online, your best bet is to try and find an estate piece.

HTH
-joe

 

[jszweda]

OK...I finally looked at those 2 sites. That one doublet is gorgeous, and the price isn''t bad. As for the black one, $600 a carat for something like that is not a bad price at all from what I have seen. If you have that money to drop, and if they have a return policy, jump all over it. Then I would go and get it appraised-unless you can find it for less. You might be able to, but it''s going to take some digging.

If you don''t mind doublets, go for it.

-joe

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 10/20/2005 6:55:57 AM
Author: The Joker

There are some magnificent black opals coming out of some of the opal mines in Virgin Valley, Nevada.

They''ve been coming out of there for well over 100 years but I think the vast majority still crack when exposed to air. Even the famous Nevada black Roebling Opal at the Smithsonian was beginning to craze last time I saw it. If there are new developments please update my "database."

Opals from Nevada and Idaho, like most opals from volcanic deposits (as opposed to the sedimentary deposits in Australia) tend to craze after mining. The reason has been the subject of intense debate for years but it basically has to do with the water content and too-rapid dehydration after exposure to air. I''ve heard tales for years about schemes to "stabilize" VV opals but none have come to much. If one has finally "worked" I''d love to learn the details. Black opals from that region are probably as good as any in the world -- if only you could remove them from their protective water bath!

The owner of the largest and most famous VV mine (now retired) once told me he threw potential "cutters" up on the tin roof of his mining shack. Those that survived the hot, dry Nevada summers were taken to his winter quarters in Arizona for lapidary treatment. Not many made the trip.


Richard M.

 

[widget]

Author: widget
buying one online is really tricky. What looks one way in a photograph shifts and looks entirely different when the opal is moved even a smidgen!

I was playing with my camera this morning and thought I''d share these pictures of the same pair of small opals to illustrate my point.

Both pictures are unaltered, and both are accurate depictions of the stones...

widget

 

[researcher]

Wow! Thanks everyone for all the info! I''m in information overload right now, but once I have time to process all of it I know I will owe you all a bunch of thanks!!!

As for my grandma storing her stones, I just know they''re at the bank. She''s crazy anal about her "babies", so it may very well be that they''re not actually in the box with the other jewelry. If they are, I''m sure she has some contraption or other to help preserve them--that is how crazy she is about her stones. But, I will make sure I check on this as I would HATE for her to ruin even one of her beautiful stones!

At this time I think I need to talk to my grandpa to make sure I''m on the right page with him for what he''s looking for. I never knew there would be so many options or that black opals could look so different! I''m EXTREMELY impressed by the knowledge of those of you who have these opals mastered

In the meantime, keep the pictures coming!!! The jewelry and stones are just spectacular!!!

 

[The Joker]

Here''s a picture of one of the great opals (Not Mine) from Virgin Valley.
The picture does not do a good job of showing the magnificent colors from this half piece of opal.

You can also check out one of the opal mines at their website.

http://www.royalpeacock.com/

Joker....