How much is opal worth per carat?

Because there are so many opal fields in Australia, there really is no singular form of opal. This means that opal costs can vary from about $10 per carat to approximately $6,000 per carat.

What is sugar treated opal?

One treatment is a sugar treatment involving opals soaked in a sugar solution, followed by sulphuric acid. The process carbonizes the sugar, resulting in specks that blacken the body color and enhance the play-of-color.

How do you tell if an opal is treated?

Indicators of treatment of black opals are more easily visible when immersed in water. Most TREATED black opal will show signs of dye/smoke marks indicating that the black in the black opal is NOT of natural origin.

What is the value of opal?

Australian opal’s price ranges from $10 – 6,000 per carat, occasionally reaching $10,000 per carat in the case with exceptional black opals. Fire Mexican opals’ price points range from $7 – 300 per carat. Ethiopian opals are also quite expensive.

Are opals a good investment?

Australian opal is highly prized, rare and the best quality opal in the world. Opal is considered a safe investment because the material has never dipped in value and has only ever increased due to the demand of the world market and jewellery production.

Is opal more expensive than diamonds?

Getting your hands on opal is easy, but finding gem-quality opal is another story. Diamonds, on the other hand, fetch a high price even for the most low-quality diamonds. Why is value important? Because the value of most diamonds will be higher than opals, while high-quality opals are rarer than diamonds.

Can you heat treat opal?

To achieve the permanent solution it needs to be treated by a heat treatment that both hardens the sandstone and stabilises the pure opal. It is best if stones are slabbed and cut to desired shape in a pre-polish condition before any heat treatment.

How can you tell a natural opal?

Most genuine solid opals have an irregularity in this area – curved or bumpy due to their natural formation – whereas a man-made stone will be perfectly flat because the two sections are flattened so they can be glued together. Be especially wary if the opal is set in jewellery and you cannot see its back or side.

What is a dyed opal?

Dyed opal treatments Many Ethiopian opals are sold in their natural state, and some are dyed opal treated. Their porosity makes them good candidates for dye, smoke, and sugar/acid treatments. All of these treatments, when disclosed, reduce the price of the opal to much less than natural opal with the same appearance.

Why are Ethiopian opals so cheap?

It might seem a tad bit odd, but Ethiopian opals are cheap because they don’t control the market. Sure, they are a bit rarer than Australian, but they have to compete with opal royalty. The only way Ethiopian opal sellers can turn a profit is if they offer their gems at a lower price point.

How do you sell opals?

How to Sell My Opals

  1. Get your opal appraised by a jeweler.
  2. Take pictures of your opal at different angles.
  3. Sell your opals on eBay.
  4. List your opal for free on craigslist.
  5. Sell your opal to a jeweler in your area.
  6. Take your opal to a pawn shop if you need immediate cash and are having problems selling your item.