The material is cut and polished with the opal material still attached to the parent material e g.
Types of opal rings.
Thin to thick seams of white or black.
Shells of coarse hardened sandy clay with layers of opal in between.
Most of this type of opal comes from the opal fields in queensland where there is a huge belt that spreads thousands of kilometers where this type of opal is produced.
Boulder opal is similar to black opal except that the foreground colour is very thin and sits on a brown ironstone base.
When the parent stone is visible alongside the opal as in the pendant shown here it is called boulder matrix opal.
This is because black opal amplifies the colors with the contrasting dark background.
Types of australian opal.
Black opal is the most valuable type of opal and it is predominantly found in lightning ridge.
In this video justin will take you through the four main australian opal types as well as a newly discovered one not yet gone mainstream.
Understanding opal starts with understanding the basic types of opal found.
Walnut sized concretions in a regular layer like a conglomerate.
Most white opal have muted pastel colors.
Solid opal is also known as type 1 opal.
These types of opal can come with interesting hills and valleys on the surface.
Boulder opal is opal that has formed along with another rock called ironstone.
Boulder opal presents beautifully in jewelry of all types including men s jewelry.
Solid opal type 1 opal solid opal is a name used for a rough or cut stone that consists entirely of opal material without any host rock or other significant inclusions contained within the stone.
Australia produces various types of opals.
Solid opal can be a combination of precious opal and common opal.