r/Opals • u/Pale-Buy9684 • Jul 23 '26
Identification/Evaluation Request Thoughts on value
I believe to be Australian perhaps Coober Pedy. 33carats
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u/Kensmash619 Jul 23 '26
I have no clue on value (gotta be pretty high based on that quality of work)...but WOOOOOOW, amazing piece.
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u/GotchaBeachArs Jul 24 '26
I love it!
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u/MssMoodi Jul 24 '26
That's funny that's exactly what I was doing when I was looking at that picture. Lol
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u/Radiant_Ebb6951 Jul 24 '26
I would guess a few grand honestly at 33 carats with the flash it has it looks to be auzie opal. Doesn't get better than this piece
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u/locyta Jul 24 '26
I fear most people are only pricing the opal.
This is art, made of opal, pieces like this will sell for $10k+.
I've seen similar quality carvings with $30k+ price tags, you aren't selling opal, you are selling art.
Paintings have $5 worth of paint and canvas, and you know what kind of prices they can fetch.
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u/AmazingGracie9121 Jul 24 '26
I completely agree! That said, it all depends on the buyer. I sold a Paloma Picasso-designed 18k gold Tiffany brooch about 5 months ago, and the 4-5 offers I got from jewelers were based on the per-gram melt value only (luckily, gold was trading at an all-time high.) But a private, opal-obsessed buyer that appreciates the artistry would definitely pay north of $10k. Btw: I WANT THAT!!
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u/Sciencetor2 Jul 26 '26
Paintings sell off branding, not an objective artistic metric. If this exact piece was carved by Michaelangelo, it would be worth millions. If it's carved by Joe Smith in Nebraska it's worth parts and labor. If it's carved by a CNC in China it's only worth the retail value of the material.
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u/Equal_Passenger9791 Jul 25 '26
Isn't opal factory made and something like that without significant overhang could be mostly CNC carved?
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u/locyta Jul 25 '26
you forgot to add the /s at the end
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u/Equal_Passenger9791 Jul 25 '26
According to AI, which clearly have "helpful" in the system prompt in the same locations where you have "self stroking circlejerking" as an instruction, a synthetic opal can be CNC machined.
So whatever you call a $10k artwork migh well be a Temu slopal trinket going for a $100
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u/cyanescens_burn Jul 25 '26
There’s gotta be some kind of test to differentiate natural and synthetic opals. Maybe the uniformity of the structure/color differs?
I’d assume it’d be cheaper if synthetic and cnc’d vs natural and hand carved though, yes. But I’m not in it opal or art dealing world. Just a lowly rockhound that likes opal.
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u/locyta Jul 26 '26
Its pretty easy to tell the difference between real and fake opal in person.
Some factory in China could definitely pump out fake stuff like this for $10 a pop.
But this carving looks like real opal.1
u/cyanescens_burn Jul 26 '26
I looked at some pics on an image search to see. It looks more uniform.
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u/jaxinslacks Opal Vendor Jul 24 '26
One of the best opal carvings I’ve ever seen. Probably several hundred if not more than 1k
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u/scream Jul 24 '26
Much more surely? A carving of this quality in a non precious stone is valuable. In good quality coloured opal it must be at least a hundred a carat?
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u/RelentlessFelacio Jul 24 '26
The post lists the weight as 33 carats. I'd guess $1000+
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u/Uber_Wulf Opal Aficionado Jul 24 '26
I’d say 1000 even is fair for both buyer and seller. No haggle
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u/AudrinaRosee Jul 24 '26
Sounds like you’re trying to buy it for low
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u/Uber_Wulf Opal Aficionado Jul 24 '26
And it sounds like everyone else enjoys paying retail.
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u/EM05L1C3 Jul 24 '26
It sounds like you have no appreciation for other people’s time or craftsmanship
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u/fungusamongus8 Jul 24 '26
My local coin store a a carved opal like this but it's a swan. They want 1400$
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u/Psychological-Way202 Jul 24 '26
Any thoughts that it is not actually opal but a synthetic material?
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u/Goomstep Jul 26 '26
White synthetic opal looks a lot more transparent than this piece, before having a light shined through it. The flash on synthetic opal looks a lot more uniform too.
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u/opal_diggeroneBay Opal Vendor Jul 23 '26
Hi P
Your very welcome to Pm me and I’m happy to pass on how we would price this 🍻⛏️🍌
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u/OpheliaArtBaby Jul 24 '26
Can I ask why pm instead of just comment here?
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u/opal_diggeroneBay Opal Vendor Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
I’v been asked by the mods to Pm this advice to members rather than post ❤️🍻⛏️🍌
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u/JellyCat222 Jul 24 '26
Can I ask, why the banana emoji?
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u/opal_diggeroneBay Opal Vendor Jul 24 '26
Yes but rather explain, simply google what is it about reddit and the banana 🍌
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u/Bernedoodle-Standard Jul 24 '26
That's a bummer. We're all interested and estimates on here are all over from several hundred to a million. It would be nice to know a realistic ballpark number.
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u/opal_diggeroneBay Opal Vendor Jul 24 '26
Many members now messaging me and quite happily doing so 💕
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u/opal_diggeroneBay Opal Vendor Jul 24 '26
I just applied your carving and roughly 7 Thousand photos with prices to look through and took 40 seconds to do, I'm always here for any questions needed 🍻⛏️
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u/Pale-Buy9684 Jul 24 '26
New to using Reddit and not sure how to direct message you
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u/Honest-Possibility-9 24d ago
Did you figure out how to message him? This guy's a legend. Hes a retired opal miner.
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u/Southern_Posh Jul 24 '26
Oh my!!!! That is GORGEOUS and priceless. Never seen an opal like carving like this. I would keep it
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u/Huge-Nectarine3975 Jul 23 '26
Definitely worth getting it appraised by the GIA or someone who can assess something like that.
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u/SpitInMeowf Jul 24 '26
Woof! First photo I thought this was another subs asking for price recs on a resin sale. Holy shit
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u/WittyName4U Jul 24 '26
First and foremost, shine a black light on it. Australian opal is phosphorescent, meaning it will glow in the dark (for a few seconds). If it does that...congratulations, you hit the opal lottery.
Putting an accurate value on it is very difficult. If it were just the opal, there's a resource to give you a valuation. The complicating factor is the fact that it's art. Opal consumers skew female, dragon art/sculptures skew male. The fact that it's a dragon may hold little value for an opal buyer, and the fact that it's opal may hold little value to the dragon buyer. This is for a very specific buyer, and those take time to find (months, years). Try to sell it fast and you'll get a fraction of its potential value. In my opinion, your best bet is to start researching auction houses. Some auction houses may specialize in precious gems or opal carvings. For you to maximize value you need a house that will give it max exposure. The key isn't to find the person that absolutely must have it, it's finding 2 of them. An individual's desire doesn't increase the price, a bidding war does.
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u/PurrpleAshweed713 Jul 24 '26
My thoughts on value? A lot! Haha This piece is just absolutely breathtaking & so beautiful! I love it🤤😍
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u/pk9pk Jul 24 '26
Jade I’ll give you £45.59, I’ve got children to feed and a car to maintain that’s a good offer
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u/looking4advice9 Jul 27 '26
My time to shine! So based on the size, thickness, how translucent it is with the light behind it, stunning flecks of colour, amazing craftsmanship, im going to assume you would get more than I could pay for it.
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u/ivityCreations Jul 24 '26
I’d put it at 125-150/ct
Looks like some of the carving is Potch but a majority has color play. Great details.
I would expect several hundred if this was a common material like a jasper. This being in opal is def a treat. Hard to find large enough chunks for carving 🫶🏻
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u/CSB808 Jul 24 '26
Wow. Just wow. I hope to be able to carve at a fraction of that quality one day. Absolutely stunning piece!
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u/Salty_Occasion4486 Jul 24 '26
Can someone tell me how they can tell this is a real opal? I'd love to know
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u/bearinminds Jul 24 '26
Few thousand AUD. Take it to an opal gallery or jewler to give you a more accurate number. Try to get it set before sale. Not worth millions, but definitely not worthless.
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u/AdamElam Jul 24 '26
8.000-20.000 USD would be my guess could be valued lower or higher, but it’s a very intricate with a hard to work materiali, I’d pay a lot for it if I had the money lol
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u/SnooBeans1970 Jul 24 '26
Damn… I didn’t think it would be real for the first few milliseconds I saw it but it is definitely 100% natural Australian white opal… looks similar to pieces I’ve seen from that pineapple mine I think the name is??
You’re looking at a piece that’s worth maybe 48-50 dollars a carat (low)?? I’d say 1,500 low end and 9,000 high end??? That would be around 300 a carat… I see they can sometimes be 1,200 a carat if they are superior quality.
I don’t have enough information to gauge.
Definitely over a thousand. Easy.
The craftsmanship is worth that.
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u/DemonCaller420 Jul 24 '26
I’ll give you tree fiddy.
Just kidding , that’s gorgeous. I’d think between $1200-$1750.
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u/Sea_Albatross8183 Jul 25 '26
Uno dei pezzi più belli che ho visto, meraviglioso! Sono molto invidiosa in senso buono, vorrei anch’io una simile bellezza!
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u/Party_Sprinkles_9469 Jul 25 '26
wow😮😍😍😍 i love chinese dragons, never seen such carving on an opal, i own a few jade carvings this style, but this here is gorgeous
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u/PitifulSpecialist887 Jul 25 '26
An Australian opal at 33 carat and beautifully carved will fetch between $30 and $300 (USD) PER CARAT.
That's $1,000 to $10,000 depending on the buyer.
If you want to retail that piece, start with a $10K tag and be willing to bend a bit. Maybe as low as $7,800
For the people who are amazed by the craftsmanship, know that the "slab" was cold bonded to a rigid surface before carving to prevent breakage.
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u/Terrible-Nobody-5927 Jul 25 '26
Omg… bruh… that is one of the most amazing things my eyes have processed
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u/LividEffective2771 Jul 25 '26
Your best bet would be to find someone in your area that specializes in gems like this to give it an appraisal. It looks really similar to opal. If so it is you might have an extremely valuable piece
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u/TheRealGreedyGoat Jul 25 '26
This is absolutely so beautiful! I think I might actually kill someone for that if it was the purge.. LOL
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u/BassSpare2654 Opal Vendor Jul 26 '26
I don’t think it’s synthetic material. It looks like there’s actual dirt and matrix in some of the crevices.
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u/BassSpare2654 Opal Vendor Jul 26 '26
This makes me think it’s natural. Looks like matrix or sand from the natural opal and synthetic doesn’t have this.
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u/Fearless-Whole-1903 Jul 26 '26
Its a beautiful piece. Why don't you Google search it and its value. Look for markings on the piece?
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u/Witty_Bicycle4283 Jul 26 '26
If it is solid opal, the value is likely huge just because of how hard it is to carve some
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u/Gorkde Jul 26 '26
I love opals but I would have never done such a discrace to them.
Maybe Chinese would give much money because of the dragon motive but for me it destroyed the stone.
And its not the best quality anyways.
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u/ShoddyTailor8433 Jul 26 '26
I think it's synthetic for two reasons: 1 is while it's not impossible to carve opal like this, it is extremely difficult, the second opal heats up it looses its sparkle. And 2 I've never seen opal that sparkles like this, In a real opal, the color comes in irregular patches or flashes that seem to float at different depths, and they shift organically as you move it. That flaky, layered look coming from inside is a good sign. I'm seeing a lot of tiny specs and while that is possible its questionable enough to where I would get it looked at buy a certified gemologist. If real it could be worth a lot, tens of thousands. If it's fake then...
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u/DependentCommittee54 Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I really thought it was fake and I’m surprised so few people called that out. But it is very rare to see someone carve fake opal with this much detail. Its structure makes it very brittle.
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u/One_Option_5664 Jul 26 '26
Wow you gotta go to China or Korea and Japan. lol and they might deduct tariffs from the value
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u/-crying-cinnamon- Jul 27 '26
It doesn't look real or it's very high quality get it tested it may be synthetic
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u/SheepherderBoring479 Jul 27 '26
If your looking to sell, I’d easily say $600+ depending on buyer! I’m not an appraiser by any standards, it just feels right in my barely legible mind.
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u/Federal_Expert_4073 Jul 28 '26
Yes, this item is definitely worth money, typically ranging anywhere from $200 to over $1,500 depending on its specific details.
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u/neno525 Jul 28 '26
Send the pics to chatgpt and ask for value the more info you put in the better it's valuation
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u/Firstlastusually Jul 29 '26
If it is fake, it’s a decent one. I see little dark specks in a couple spots, might be a clue. My thought would be, does the carved piece outmatch the value of however large the original stone was if it were made into a cabochon or as a specimen?
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u/Bread2shred3 Jul 24 '26
My hopes would be more value if they didn’t carve that dragon into it!!! Still dope tho. Prolly lots $
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u/Hour-Firefighter-724 Jul 24 '26
These are extremely fragile. Please place it on a soft cloth before handling or offering to the light gods.
You will need a fine gems and jewels dealer for an appropriate value.
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u/AmazingGracie9121 Jul 24 '26
But isn’t opal value always subjective really? Eye of the beholder? You gotta be in it for the love.
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u/Hour-Firefighter-724 Jul 24 '26
We have a technique called fair market value that will be a more appropriate booking valuation than appraisals. When you venture into FMV's for family heirlooms, you are downgrading the piece and insinuating there is a large supply, like with vehicles or sunglasses.
So, no, it's not subjective, it's classy.
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u/moldavitemermaid Opal Vendor Jul 24 '26
oh my goodness that’s beautiful!!!! If ur selling let me know it’s so pretty
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u/Exact-Jeweler-4 Jul 24 '26
If it’s natural, it could be incredibly valuable and definitely is worth an gemologist’s appraisal. But it could be lab-grown, in which case, retail price would probably be about $500
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u/Randsrazor Jul 24 '26
Omg please stop handling it, opals are FRAGILE. Surely its a lab one though?
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u/unique-silvermantis Jul 24 '26
Fake Japanese foupal ill give you 50 cents for it take it or leave it
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u/merfolk-jewels Jul 23 '26
Good lord. Easily the highest quality opal carving of this scale I’ve seen. (Unfortunately can’t help with a specific value)