Is Morado opal rare?

It often has a “crackled” appearance and is considered one of the most scarce, beautiful and unusual stones in the world. Morado opal is a purple and white opal with minor amounts of silica from central Mexico.

What is opal in the rough?

Rough opals are unprocessed opal straight from the mines or from the agitation process of washing and tumbling. Rough opal can be purchased in two forms, either as rough or rubs.

What opal comes from Coober Pedy?

Coober Pedy produces the bulk of the world’s white opal. The opal mining fields of Coober Pedy lie in the outback of South Australia, Stuart Range, 750 km north of Adelaide. Many of the locals in Coober Pedy prefer to live underground in dugouts where it is cool in summer and warm in winter.

What is yellow opal?

Yellow Opal is a type of Common Opal that ranges in color from a dark yellow to a near translucent “sunny” gold. All Opals are Amorphous (occurring in no defined shape) and can be seen in massive forms as well as stalactitic, nodular or botryoidal.

What is green opal?

Green Opal is a variety of common Opal mixed with Nontronite, a lovely pale green mineral which creates a beautiful lime color, spotted with crystal surfaces.

What is opal stone?

Opal is an amorphous form of silica, chemically similar to quartz, but containing 3% to 21% water within its mineral structure. Gem grade opals usually have 6% to 10% water content. Opal is a sedimentary stone.

Who discovered opals in Coober Pedy?

Toddy Bryant
The discovery of opal within 20 centimetres of the surface at the Eight Mile in 1945 by Toddy Bryant, an Aboriginal woman, caused a great sensation and was a turning point in the field’s history. It went a long way towards establishing Coober Pedy’s future prosperity.

What is the biggest opal found in Coober Pedy?

Olympic Australis
The “Olympic Australis” is reported to be the largest and most valuable gem opal ever found. It was found in 1956 at the famous “Eight Mile” opal field in Coober Pedy, South Australia. A miner working his claim found the opal at a depth of 30 feet.

What kind of opal is in Coober Pedy?

The opal forms in seam opal veins in towns around Coober Pedy and is known through the world as white opal with multiple fire colours. The base or potch of this opal is white porcelain colours to dark colours but mostly china white with bright fire colours on top So rough has always been popular form new cutters to professional cutters.

What is the hardness of a Morado Opal?

It is a good material for people making their first attempts at cutting opal. Morado, like all other opals, is a vulnerable gem when used in jewelry. It has a Mohs hardness of 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 and is easily scratched if used in a ring or bracelet. It is also a brittle material and is easily chipped.

Where can you find Morado Opal in Mexico?

It is a rare material found only at the Brush-Wellman location. Morado Opal and a material known as ” Tiffany Stone ” have a similar purple and white color and physical properties. However, they are different materials from different localities. A short description of each is provided below.

Where do rough Opal parcels come from in Australia?

Parcel’s of rough Australian Opal These rough opal parcels start their journey from Coober Pedy in South Australia. They are groups of single natural untempered stone bundles. Coming in various shapes, sizes, weights and values.