What sets the price of black opal
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Four things that set the price
Body tone. The darker the body, the rarer and more valuable the stone. A black opal (N1 to N4) and a dark opal (N5 or N6) of the same brightness are priced very differently.
Brightness. A dark stone with dull color is worth far less than its body tone suggests. Brightness is what brings a black opal to life.
Pattern and color. Harlequin and broad flash are the most valued patterns, and red is the most valued color.
Size. It matters, but less than most people expect. A small, bright stone can be worth more than a large, dull one.
Why there's no simple price per carat
Opal is priced stone by stone. Two stones of the same weight and body tone can be worth very different amounts depending on how the color looks in the hand. A price chart can only ever give a rough idea, which is why we don't publish one. Our prices are on each piece in the shop.
What the setting adds
The finished price also includes the metal and the work of setting the stone. Gold costs more than sterling silver. Because every opal is a different shape, each setting has to be made to fit its stone.
When the price is too good to be true
Big, bright and cheap is the warning sign. A large, vivid black opal at a low price is almost certainly a doublet, a triplet, a treated stone or lab-created opal. Those are fine products when they're labeled honestly. The problem is a listing that leaves out the word "solid".
More on spotting them in how to tell if an opal is real and solid opal vs. doublets and triplets.
Common questions
How is black opal priced?
Stone by stone. Body tone comes first, then brightness, then pattern and color, then size. Because those combine differently in every stone, two black opals of the same weight can be priced very differently.
Why is black opal so expensive?
Almost all of it comes from one area around Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, and most of the opal mined there has no play-of-color at all. Bright, solid black opal is genuinely rare.
Is a cheap black opal ring real?
Rarely as solid stone. A large, bright black opal at a low price is almost always a doublet, a triplet, a treated stone or lab-created. Those are legitimate products, as long as the listing says so.
Does carat weight decide an opal's price?
Less than you might think. Body tone, brightness and pattern usually matter more. A small stone with bright color can be worth more than a much larger dull one.