Why Is Australian Opal So Expensive?

By Author: Ali C. Underwood
Total Articles: 39
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Australian opal has been known for quite sometimes globally to be so expensive. But why are they so? Well the first thing perhaps would be to understand the source and the reason for this. First, Australian boulder opal is mined in the harshest and the most remote location of Australia. The weather condition of this location is just too extreme. Very dry, hence reaching these opals is no walk in the park. Secondly, we need to understand the colors and splendor is found in the opal. The Australian opal jewelry is the most colorful of all gems in the world. All the coloration of the rainbow can be found in this amazing Australian boulder opal. Opal also an intense and mystical fire inside, which has really popularized it and in the process made it more expensive- for this reason, a fine example of an opal may be worth even more than a diamond.

The Australian boulder opal is something of beauty to behold, its array of colors change according to the angle from which it is looked at. These multi-flashes of coloration are known as opalescence. These colorings may be large in one color or small and large in another. The distribution ...
... and intensity of these colorful flashes are what gives the determination of its costing.

The opal stone is mainly found in Australia, where the mines supply up to almost all of the global opals gemstones. This is another factor that makes the gemstone more expensive as compared to the others. The demand for Australian boulder opal gemstones has over time been increasing, sometimes the demand beating the supply! Although some other countries produce about 5% of the remaining opal gemstone, they cannot be able to satisfy the market at large. Opal is also mined in Brazil, Mexico, and in a few US states, such as Idaho and Nevada. Recently, there have been finds of opals gemstones in Africa that is in Ethiopia and Mali.

Even though there are other cheaper versions of opal stones, those that do not display an array of coloration are relatively cheaper, but they are not very much in demand as the gemstone opals that display an array of coloration. The first one is commonly available, with the second one being rare and hence costly. The idea of any person purchasing opal gemstones is to have the display of color; hence they go for the expensive ones. The beauty is just too good to replace! Very few people would go for none dazzling cheaper option, for them owning an Australian boulder opal is just more than the name- They also put in consideration the appearance, this has made this precious stone to be more and more expensive.

Another factor that has made the Australian stone costly is the preparation that it takes in cutting it after mining. The process is custom done by hand; this is so to ensure that this delicate and beautiful gemstone is properly fit for the jewelry market. The attention that the opal stone is given is just amazing. It involves a lot of quality work that must be paid for through real pricing.