Morado opal, also called “purple opal” or “Opal Royale,” is a purple common opal variety native to Mexico. Western Australia’s pink opals are actually opalized radiolarite and often heavily included (meaning they have trace quantities of other minerals or debris), creating white, brown, or black patterns. Peruvian pink opals have a milky tone and vivid, uniform color, particularly “pink Andean opal.” Pink opals come from Australia, Mexico, and the USA, but Peru is the most prolific source. This opal type commonly has inclusions that create dark streaking or color zones. ![]() Pink opal is a common opal in pale to bubblegum pink, though other colors like white, yellow, peach, lavender, and black may appear as well. What other colors do opals come in? Opals By Body Colorīeyond white, gray, and black, you can also find opals in pink, purple (morado), blue, green, colorless, and fire hues. Black precious opal has the brightest play-of-color of any opal. While rare, most gem-quality black opals come from Lightning Ridge, Australia. These opals can be transparent black crystal opals or opaque, though both common and precious black opals are available. Speaking of dark opals, what is the rarest opal type?īlack opal is the rarest opal variety, defined by a dark gray to black body tone from N1-N4. This type is less common than white opal but shows a brighter play-of-color. The majority of dark opal comes from Lightning Ridge or Mintabie, Australia. ![]() Also called “semi-black opals,” these common or precious opals have a medium gray body tone that isn’t dark enough to be black opal. Gray or dark opal is between white and black, at N5-N6 body tones. Australia’s Coober Pedy mine has earned the moniker “opal capital of the world” for its abundance of white precious opals. White is the most common opal color and most abundant precious opal type. These opals can be transparent to semi-opaque, but most have a milky tone. Light opals range from colorless to light gray, while white opals have a white to pale gray body. Light or white opal refers to any opal with an N7-N9 body tone and can be common or precious. Before we get into those, what are 3 different types of opals most people shop for? Most Popular Opal Typesĭespite the abundance of different opal varieties, three opal types take the lead: white/light opal, gray/dark opal, and black opal. Other groupings include the opal’s source, inclusions, and formation. Body tone in common opals is simply based on the stone’s overall color. In precious opals, body tone is the relative darkness or lightness of the stone’s background. The technical term is body tone, though “base tone” or “background color” are also used. The primary method for classifying opals is by body color. ![]() Precious opals display iridescent play-of-color, while common opals do not. Hundreds of opal types exist around the world, but the first distinction to know is common versus precious opals. Before we start, let’s break down how to classify opals. Today, we’ll cover all types of opals with pictures separated by category, origin, and color. When it comes to opal types and meanings, opals generally symbolize hope and innocence, but an opal’s meaning can differ based on the opal type. Opals look like they hold galaxies, but did you know there’s a world of opal types available? Mostly known as the October birthstone, opals are fascinating miracles of nature and come in numerous varieties!
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