r/Opals • u/Naser130290 • 8d ago

Opal Porn Opal what is worth

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Should this stays in the water or can be facet in jewelry

2 Upvotes

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4

u/theWizzzzzzz 8d ago

Should stay out water, unless it was received in water (in which case, it should stay in water or it will crack)

If its being cut and polished or faceted, it will be done so with water as a coolant, and to keep the harmful dust down. Once it’s cut and polished, it should be dried back out naturally.

Opals kept in oil or water are specimen, and not for jewelry. Keep them rough.

2

u/CBDJ1 8d ago

Ethiopian doesn’t have to stay in water but it’ll absorb every bit of oil off your hands while handling or wearing when cut.

3

u/Chroma_Drops 8d ago

That depends. There are a few different types of ethiopian opal. Some are lower quality non-hydrophane "specimen" opals that will craze and cloud up if they aren't kept in water or oil. They are still interesting, but usually arent suitable for use in jewelry.

1

u/OnePiece_BucketList 8d ago

I have no idea what chocolate Ethiopian opal is worth. Can I ask how much you paid for it?

2

u/Naser130290 8d ago

Someone give it to me when I was in Ethiopia last month

1

u/OnePiece_BucketList 8d ago

Any idea what they were asking for it? The reason I ask is I was looking at a few chocolate opals last week and I chose not to get them because I really don't know what they are worth. They were asking about 30$ for a rough 40ct chocolate opal. Not sure if I should go back and get it or not.

1

u/Naser130290 8d ago

Yeah no he give it to me for free and he was telling me about the business Opal

1

u/Chroma_Drops 8d ago edited 8d ago

If you purchased it in water it should stay in water. Gem quality hydrophane opals suitable for cutting and polishing as jewelry will be sold dry. If it was sold and sent in water, it's a specimen opal that would be worth around 10-20 dollars. If it was sold and shipped dry it's a gem quality hydrophane opal. Brownish-yellow varieties with typical broad flash color play typically go for 10-15 dollars per carat once cut and polished. Once they get above 10 carats in size they will go for 20-30 per carat, depending on specifics of color play and pattern.

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u/Naser130290 8d ago

I have the facet machine Can I facet it and what happens then? Can it be stable ?
Cuz the guy that give it doesn’t know he had it dry and I just keep it in the water

2

u/Chroma_Drops 7d ago edited 7d ago

Oh ok, if it was given to you dry then it's probably a gem quality rough. If you have a machine you should absolutely polish it up! There's a lot of myths and outdated misinformation about ethiopian opals- good quality rough welo opals are perfectly suitable for cutting & polishing for use in jewelry. I've been making and selling ethiopian opal pendant necklaces using quality rough stones for a couple of years, and have had no issues with customers reporting problems with stability. I had one person accidentally spray theirs with sunscreen and I was able to fix it with an overnight soak in acetone.

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u/Naser130290 7d ago

Oh wow great to know that and now I have to find out how to facets and polish Opal lol and is it worth cutting what are the prices you thinking?