Posted by Peter Brusaschi on November 23, 1998 at 08:31:42:
In Reply to: Fire Opals posted by Annette Dlugosz on November 18, 1998 at 13:01:51:
Dear Annette:
have a good look at www.opalmine.com and you will get an all round look at what opal is all about. However, just to help you making a decision. In my experience the term "fire opal" means different things to different people. The term seems to originate mainly in America,the dealers in Australia rarely use the term. It actually refers to the amount of "liveliness" in the stone, not necessarily describing the colour itself. Some people refer to the amount of red in the stone, but as we all know "fire" is a combination of a number of different colours,..and this is the case with opal. there is really no end to the varieties of colour and peoples taste. Some people insist on having a stone with a black backing (natural black backing that is...) and that is a black opal. Others prefer the more delicate display existing in crystal or white opal. Boulder opal has a brown backing and gives a similar effect to black opal. But just to avoid confusing you too much, here is an example of what you would pay for different types of black opal. Black opal varies in colour from light grey background, through darket grey to really dark and then black. The blacker the background.the brighter the colour. Plain blue on black can start at around $50 to $100 per carat. (a carat stone is usually about 8x6mm in size. As the blue becomes more electric or "firey" it can go up to around $150 to $200 per carat.Green, yellow on grey can start at around $50 per carat and as it gets darker and brighter, becomes worth from $200 per carat to around $800 per carat depending on the brightness of the stone and how dark it is in the background. Also, "pinfire" or very fine pattern is not as valuable as patterns with a wider pattern. As the colour developes into orange, it can cost from $300 per carat to around $2000 per carat, again depending on how dark the background is. As the colour develops into Red with sharp contrasting colours like yellow and blue, the price goes up dramatically to around $2000 to $5000 per carat and it can reach upto $10,000 and more per carat. harlequin or destinctive square pattern is the rarest and stones of this uniqueness can name their own price. this is all very much for a beginner to take in but at least it gives you some idea of what prices are all about. If you would like to know more and want to see some graphics with a view to finding a stone just right for you, send me an email. I can send you some graphics by attachment. But have a look at www.opalmine.com. This will give you lots of background knowledge which will help immensely.
Hope this has helped.
Kind regards,
Peter