Types of Opals
Info Sources from Renee Newman, Veronica Purpura and other credited sites
Australian Varieties
Lightning Ridge Black Opal. Photos by Veronica Purpura.
Lightning Ridge Opal. Photos by Veronica Purpura.
Precious White Opal. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Australian White Cliffs white Opal. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Mintibe Opal. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Coober Pedy Opal Rough. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Grey Opal Rough. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
White Cliffs opal rough. Photo by pinterest.com/pin/272045633712075287/
White Cliffs Opal Pineapple. Photo from Len Cram.
Above: "Cooked" Andamooka opal
Right: Uncooked Andamooka Opal with some purple play-of-color speckles.
Photos by Veronica Purpura
Boulder Opal Pendant. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Koroit Opal Matrix. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Yowah Opal. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Crystal Opal. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Jelly Opal cabochons with blue fire from Lightning Ridge. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Potch Opal Arrowhead. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Play of Color Patterns
Precious Opal Fossil Clam Shell. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Opal Fossil Clam Shell. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Opal Fossil Belemnites. Photo by American Opal Society.
Opal Fossil Belemnite. Photo by Veronica Purpura
Opal Fossil Snail Shell. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Opal Fossil Mussel Shells. Photos by Veronica Purpura.
Opal Fossil Whale Bones. Photos by American Opal Society.
Opal-Replaced Fossils
Top: Fire opal rough. Bottom: Freeform Mexican opals with all play-of-color. Photos by Veronica Purpura.
Cherry red fire opals. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Mexican Opals in Rhyolite Matrix "Eggs". Photos by Veronica Purpura.
Contra Luz Mexican opals. Photos by Veronica Purpura.
Mejandral blue opal rough. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Mejandral brown opal. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Mexico
South America
Brazil:
Brazilian Opal gold-filled wire-wrapped single earring. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Andean blue opal rough. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Peruvian pink opal. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Polished Honduran black opal. Photo by geology.com.
Peru:
Honduras:
Africa
Ethiopia:
Tanzania:
Madagascar:
Kenya:
Top Left: Polished Welo Opal.
Top Right: Polished grey Welo Opal.
2nd Row: Polished Welo opal with fossil plant material.
3rd Row: 2 orange Welo opal roughs.
Bottom: Welo opal with digit pattern and zoning.
Bottom Text Right: rough Welo and hydrophane opals of varying base colors.
Photos by Veronica Purpura.
"Chocolate" "thunder egg" opal geode pendant. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Carved Madagascar opal. Photo by opalauctions.com
Ethiopian opal cabochon, in place of a Kenyan Opal (which were supposedly similar). Photo by opalauctions.com
Honey Tanzanian opal cabochon. Photo by opalauctions.com
Green Tanzanian opal cabochon. Photo by opalauctions.com
Honey dendritic Tanzanian opal and Cat's Eye Opalite cabochon. Photos by opalauctions.com
Asia
Indonesian opal. Photo by Yahoo image search.
Indonesia:
North America
Pink "Ice Cream" opal rough. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
California opal rough. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Top: Mojave opal in basalt.
Bottom Right: Nevada opal in basalt pieces.
Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Polished, stable Virgin Valley opal. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Virgin Valley Opal (crazed). Photo by Veronica Purpura.
V.V. Nevada opal fossil branches. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Above: Polished Spencer opal.
Below: Rough Spencer opal.
Photos by Veronica Purpura.
Polished Arizona opals. Photos by Veronica Purpura.
Utah "Bubble", botroydal opal. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
California:
Nevada:
Idaho:
Arizona:
Louisiana:
Utah:
Louisiana opal. Photo from geology.com
Europe
Rough Slovakian opal from mine. Photo from opalauctions.com
Antique Hungarian opal piece for jewelry. Photo from Yahoo image search.
Czech Republic Hyalite opal. Photo from Yahoo image search.
Slovakia:
Hungary:
Czech Republic
Common / Unusual
Green prase opal. Photo by Yahoo image search
Hyalite opal. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Wood opal. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Tiffany stone. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Assembled Opals
Gilson opal triplet. Includes side view of crystal cap, opal seam and black ceramic back. Photos by Veronica Purpura.
Australian opal doublet. Photo by Veronica Purpura.
Gilson opals.
Photo from profoundglass.com
Fakes, Synthetics and Treatments
Slocum stone (front and back). Photos by Veronica Purpura.
Top: Synthetic Opal rough material.
Bottom: Synthetic opal beads.
Photos by alibaba.com.
Opalite imitation opal beads. Photo from geology.com/gemstones/opal/
Vintage foiled glass/opal pin brooch. Photo from Yahoo image search.
Before and After smoke treatment of Welo opals. Photo from stonegrouplabs.com
Right: Backlit Welo opal showing carbon concentration from smoke treatment.
Left: Carbon smoke specks on Welo opal surface from smoke treatment.
Photo from stonegrouplabs.com
Right: rough Andamooka opal (untreated).
Left: Sugar treated Andamooka black opal.
Photos from Yahoo image searches.