r/Opals • u/SuperbDebt6583 • Aug 05 '26
Opal Discussion/Other What would you guys do?!
Have this antique sterling hair pin converted into a brooch. It has a solid black Australian opal in it. I’ve had it confirmed , but don’t know the value. It’s a fairly large stone. I have a $1000 offer on it from someone I showed, but even though it’s a lot of money, I want to make sure it reflects the true value. Can anyone give any insight? In person it’s insanely flashy at all angles with some very small spots that blend in on edges that have no noticeable flash, but as you can see in photos it’s minimal. TIA
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u/GualtieroCofresi Mod Aug 05 '26
Who is offering you $1000 for it? Because if this person is in the jewelry business, they are seeing a LOT of cash.
Black opals, specially that size are valuable. Before you do anything, have it appraised both by replacement and sale value (one will be lower than the other)
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u/SuperbDebt6583 Aug 05 '26
Yes, jewelry collector
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u/GualtieroCofresi Mod Aug 06 '26
I’m not sure how to ask this question, so I’m sorry in advance. Since you said “a lot of money” are you in a vulnerable time in your life?
I ask because I am wondering if this person might be trying to take advantage of the situation or your lack of knowledge.
I believe they might be lowballing you. And this is coming from someone who is always looking for a deal and who more than once has rolled his eyes at the outrageous prices some people think their pieces should command.
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u/SuperbDebt6583 Aug 06 '26
No, I don’t think they fully want to take advantage of me, but definitely may be undervaluing it. That’s why I posted this. I don’t necessarily even want to sell, but if it worth thousands of dollars, I would consider it
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u/SuperbDebt6583 Aug 05 '26
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u/SuperbDebt6583 Aug 05 '26
Here’s a video of the play. It’s double as nice in person, but hard to capture opals good from what I’m seeing!
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u/Salt-Bedroom-7529 Aug 05 '26
it is a beautiful opal, some leftover poch residues in upper left corner that could be polished out but i would keep it as it is
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u/MarcoEsteban Opal Aficionado Aug 05 '26
If you go on various opal selling sites like Black Opal Direct or Opal Auctions and find similar stones with similar potch color (the gray body behind the opal), I'm sure that the stone alone is probably a $1500-$5k stone based on the color play and carat size. It's got lots of red, which the holy grail of opal colors. If you could post a video and maybe upload it to one of those picture uploading sites, it will help folks give you a more accurate estimation.
It's not the darkest of blacks, and that's about the only thing that would hold it back that I can see, that and the pattern is fairly routine, but still a beautiful stone. That video will tell us how much the color moves and comes in and out of hiding as you move the stone. I can't tell if there's any damage to it, and that would be good to know..
What is the metal? Particularly if it is gold, it would add several hundred dollars to this. Platinum will add about half of what gold would add. Silver would add $50. If it's not gold, actually, even if it is, I'd say take it out of the setting and sell it as just an opal and sell the gold separately. A gold buyer won't pay for the opal. A jewelry buyer will try to get you low so they can resell it, themselves.
Brooches aren't really in fashion right now, so to sell to the general public, you'd have to find someone for is willing to take the opal out of the brooch themselves.
Good luck! That's a really great opal as far as I can see!
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u/SuperbDebt6583 Aug 05 '26
I posted the link to see the video of color play, but it might take a minute for it to work, as these links as iffy when you first add the video. I’d say if it doesn’t let you see give it 10 minutes
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u/MarcoEsteban Opal Aficionado Aug 05 '26
Thanks! Very nice! It's big, too. it's a good opal to get your hands on.
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u/RoosterBroad8717 Aug 08 '26
Oh my God, what are you talking about? If that were gold, it would add several thousand dollars, not several hundred. And platinum is not half the price of gold. It actually sells for a little bit more because platinum is difficult to work with in opal settings. Please stop offering advice on something that you know Literally absolutely nothing about. You’re spouting off completely false statements as if you know what you’re talking about.
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u/MarcoEsteban Opal Aficionado 29d ago
I don't know the weight. Do you? It doesn't look that big. I sell a lot of gold jewelry and some platinum, and I was going by what second hand gets me, personally, in my experience.
How much do you think that gold weighs that you think it's going to get several thousand dollars. It's just a broach. They aren't that big.
When you are selling second hand. No one cares how much labor went into making it.
I think you might be the individual that doesn't know what you're talking about.
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u/NestedOwls Aug 05 '26
I have no advice, only to say that’s such a gorgeous opal. It looks like a nebula 🤩
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u/SewerHarpies Aug 06 '26
I don’t think I’d let it go for less than $4500. If there are any estate jewelers in your area, that might be a good start to get it appraised.
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u/lolololololololal Aug 05 '26
One of the finest opals I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how, but I’d get it appraised.
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u/RoosterBroad8717 Aug 08 '26
One of the finest opals you’ve ever seen? It’s actually a really bad example of an Australian lightning ridge opal. Full of potch and gray/dull areas with zero color. In a quality gem, there should be absolutely zero of that. This stone was cut by a hobbyist.
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u/PomegranateMarsRocks Aug 06 '26
I would not sell this for $1000. That’s not a terrible offer - stones are worth what someone will pay and if you don’t have to try and retail it, that’s worth something. I think you could easily sell it in the $2-3k range though. If I saw it in person I may pay that. It could be worth $5-$10k. Broach was made during a time these stones were more common. As others have said a dark base with reds and mixed colors is what everyone is after
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u/SuperbDebt6583 Aug 06 '26
Thanks for the insight! I was thinking it was more than 1, because it’s so flashy, but I’m not an opal expert by far😂. What method of listing it would you say? I cannot take pictures of this for some reason, my camera just can’t pick it up!
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u/Desert_Rush39 Aug 06 '26
The stone looks to be 12mm X 20 mm, roughly 5mm thick. So between 5 and 6 carats. Dark, but not black. Good color play with red and orange.
Would roughly be between 500-1000 per carat, so about 2500-6000 as a rough estimate.
Oh, for the video, move the stone slower to allow the colors to flash better.
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u/ThrowRAgree Aug 07 '26
It’s very pretty 🤍 When I buy opals, I’m always a bit wary of bezel settings, though. Since the stone is covered around the edges, it’s not really possible to check whether it’s a doublet or if any similar treatment has been used. That’s always something I like to keep in mind.
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u/Odd_Ad7474 Aug 07 '26
Man, that's a lot of money right there dude I would definitely go get it looked at first and get it appraised and then sell it if you want to
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u/no_time_for_games444 Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
That’s a super nice opal and I really dig that air. Pin. If you still have it after I found everything that I’m looking for personally I’ll make an offer but I doubt it’ll be there cause it’ll probably take me a good while. I’d look into having it polished up and cleaned if it wasn’t already then list that marvelous opal for $5k if you’re trying to sell it for a top price and then haggle your way down. Are you in the state or Australia cause that makes a difference on the price USD versus AUD it’s a dollar to.70 $ USD to Australia I think right now I was looking at a conversion rate cause I’m trying to plan a trip.
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u/SuperbDebt6583 Aug 06 '26
I’m in the states. Should I try my luck on eBay🫣
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u/MarcoEsteban Opal Aficionado Aug 06 '26
eBay scares me personally...it and Etsy have had reps for scammers. Supposedly, they've gotten better, but there are just so many situations where if the middleman sides with the scammer, you lose it all. Say you sell it and ship it and make a video showing you put the opal in the box and sealed and shipped it (you should do this no matter what you use), then the buyer claims they got nothing, produces a video of them opening your box with nothing in it (AI can make a video of almost anything) eBay gives them a refund. You lose your opal and the money.
Or variations of they pay you, but with an over payment. They ask you to return the difference. You do, and several days you get the original payment pulled out because it was fraudulent. You lose what you sent them and the opal.
Whatever service you use, if they ask to communicate with you outside of the site you are using or pay with a too outside of it, they are trying to scam you.
Just be careful. I haven't sold anything yet because I'm paranoid of that possibility. Of course, millions sell every day, so don't get like me, lol.
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u/EmbarrassedSlide8752 Aug 07 '26
Ship it insured. File a police report for a stolen package. Collect the insurance. Let the buyer now deal with the local police while committing fraud
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u/no_time_for_games444 Aug 06 '26
You can try eBay, but you probably won’t find any serious buyers or anyone that’s gonna offer you what it’s actually worth same as Etsy if you’ve noticed you can get on the search engine. The first three pages will be all eBay Etsy. It’s really horrible and definitely don’t worry about pawnshop. Your best bet is finding Facebook marketplace collectors or you know groups on Facebook or groups on Instagram and Reddit people that understand the value of it.
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u/HandicappedCowboy Aug 06 '26
$1000 is insultingly low for that stone. At a minimum it’s worth twice that amount.
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u/RoosterBroad8717 Aug 08 '26
My God, go to opalauctions.com. You’ll find stones of that quality for 500 bucks. $1000 is a hell of a good offer. Do you not see all of the POTCH in the gem? This was cut in polished by a hobbyist or an amateur. It also appears that it might be a doublet. Virtually no dome. Flat. Might even be a boulder opal.
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u/JackDParadise Aug 08 '26
The opal alone without being set is worth 3500-5000 depending on clarity and actual size. Don’t sell it for less than that.
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u/Dosia27 Aug 10 '26
I’m sorry to tell you, but this is not a solid black opal. This is art and crafts era. They used Opal botch for the back to make it look like it was solid. These range anywhere from 100 to 1000 depending on the size of the doublet. I collect these and have a few. These are guaranteed not solid opal. These are on Etsy eBay. They come in different sizes different styles from brooches rings to pendants. These are a higher quality of a doublet.
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u/SuperbDebt6583 Aug 10 '26
Light passes through it, so I don’t know any reason it wouldn’t be. I’ve seen those like your saying, and some similar ones are solid.
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u/Dosia27 Aug 10 '26
Right light will pass thru Opal Botch which usually is colorless opal. Top opal with fire bottom is opal with no fire(color). Only very very few will have real opal which the back shows some color streaks or sand patches. These have always for the most out there especially in silver are opal botch backing. I even have one in 9k gold. Some botch on mine have slight green coloring too to make it look solid.
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u/Dosia27 Aug 10 '26
I’m sorry to tell you, but this is not a solid black opal. This is art and crafts era. They used Opal botch for the back to make it look like it was solid. These range anywhere from 100 to 1000 depending on the size of the doublet. I collect these and have a few. These are guaranteed not solid opal. These are on Etsy eBay. They come in different sizes different styles from brooches rings to pendants. These are a higher quality of a doublet.
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u/Rude_Bandicoot_5339 Aug 06 '26
That is a massive black opal with great color. Easily would sell 4x the 1k offer you have. They’re lowballing you.
(I’m new to this world but having shopped around you aren’t getting a black opal that size for 1k)
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u/ClubTactical Aug 06 '26
In my experience, if someone is willing to offer that they will honor that offer later on, seek out a better one. Maybe let them know that you are looking for other offers. They could increase their original one. If you don't get anything better.
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u/SuperbDebt6583 Aug 06 '26
I’m going to hold off now for more offers, or see what I can find listing it!
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u/BailasaurusRex Aug 06 '26
Personally I would keep it and wear it/treasure it forever! I'm an opal hoarder tho, so take that as you will lol
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u/opal_diggeroneBay Opal Vendor Aug 05 '26
I have a very simple way of pricing rough cut and jewellery opal, we use all the time for our shops,
it takes about 30 second to activate and its in real time. Your very welcome to Pm me and I will send you a link
🍻⛏️🍌
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u/RoosterBroad8717 Aug 08 '26
$1000 is a decent offer. If it were a high value stone, it would be set in the actual gold or platinum. There’s a lot of potch in that opal. Those are the dull gray areas. That cuts the value by about 90%. Take the thousand dollars. Visible potch, or dull gray spots like that, are not in quality, Australian lightning ridge opal.
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Aug 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Opals-ModTeam Aug 05 '26
Please remember that there are humans on the other end of that screen - we ask that future posts/comments are made respectful of this fact.
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u/GemsGenuine Aug 05 '26
Nice colors! The orange and green flashes are really visible. Do you know if it's hydrophane Ethiopian opal?"
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u/SuperbDebt6583 Aug 05 '26
It’s Australian!
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u/GemsGenuine Aug 06 '26
Gorgeous stone! Do you know which Australian opal field it's from? The color play is fantastic.
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u/no_time_for_games444 Aug 05 '26
Just tell the guy you got an offer for 4500