In terms of price, opal is divided into two parts, ordinary opal and valuable opal. "Poach" which we call worthless opal. It is actually opal but has a range of dull and lifeless grey-black, white or uncommon colours.Nowadays people think that opal is found in Australia. Okay this is of course and there are two main types: black opal and white opal. The black opal comes from the Lightning Ridge region of the state of NSW and the white opal comes from the Coober Pedy region of the state of South Australia.
The Australian black opal is recognized as the best quality gemstone opal in the world. You really need to think about it for a while. Obviously beautiful opal can be found not only in Coober Pedy but also in different parts of the world.Opal is found in all corners of the globe and was known for hundreds of years before it was found in Australia. Louis Leakey, a Kenyan anthropologist, found the Opal that was worked on by primitive artisans 6,000 years ago.Opal deposits are still found in Hungary, Germany, Russia and other European countries, as well as in North and South America and Africa.Many African states are finding Opal deposits. Opal is found in most continents and in many countries but the deposit is small and the quality of opal is not good. The amount is huge in Australia and the quality is great at the top end.I guess the experts are saying that if you are looking for the best gemstone opal then you are probably talking about black opal.I saw a black opal gemstone worth one million dollars in the palm of a miner's hand. But I also saw the trackload of useless opals.Another thing I like about opals is that you don't have to be rich to get beautiful opal jewellery. You can choose to buy a low quality solid opal and set it in a beautiful setting and it will still look great even though it may not have the stunning colour of more expensive opal. It will often have some exciting character about it.Alternatively, you can choose a double or triplet that often requires a little more care as it is made from two or three pieces but will be mostly bright and chic at a very affordable price.Sometimes you will find bright opal lined patches in it and it will be cheap and for a small amount of money will make gorgeous opal jewelry, especially opal pendants instead of opal earrings or rings.