Australian black Opal
Lightning Ridge in the outback of New South Wales in Australia is the only one place in the world that produces black opal in quantity and quality.
Every other opal mining field produces light or crystal opal.
There has been a few freak deposits in other areas of Australia like in Coober Pedy. The seam opal there has been black opal for only a short time. And does not look like it will last.
Australian black opal has the highest quality opal in the world with prices per carat reaching over $20,000 per carat. The red on black being the most valuable and most rare of all. Red on black opal means the opal body is black or very dark in color with flashes of color on the top of the black opal The opal without color is called potch.
Black opal can also have other colors in it like blue, green and orange. With a body tone of between N1 and N3, black opal is very dark. Unlike crystal opal or white opal which has a light body tone or N4 an N5.
Australian black opal mostly comes in nobby form which is roundish rock shaped. The Cooceran field in Lightning Ridge was the producer of the most black opal in Australia but in the 2000s the majority of the black opal came from a field 70 kilometers out from Lightning Ridge called the Grawin fields. Mulga field is one part that has produced some really nice opal and is formed in seam opal in crack and fissures in the ground.
Some black opal mines have produced over 30 million dollars with large deposits of black opal found in pockets throughout the level where the opal is found in the mineral claim.
Some of the most famous deposits in the Coocoran field where Olgas, Molenues, Kens Retreat, Allahs, Jag Hill, Smiths, Tbone, Tyrones Luck, and many more. Most of the opal bearing areas have been mined out of production has closed down due to regulation or expensive processing costs.
Alot of miners who have found lots of opal have kept the best black opal pieces in their private collections, for a rainy day or just to keep as an investment for the future.
For more information on opal cutting or purchasing opal. Please email blackopalsdirect@live.com or you can call me on Skype My username is Blackopaldirect and it's free!
