Why Is Australian Opal so Expensive? The Truth Behind the Price

When it comes to beautiful gemstones, it's hard to overlook the amazing properties of australian opal! These stones have amazing patterns of different colours and are truly unique. However, when searching for information about opal stone price, many people wonder why they are so costly!

In order to explain why there are significant differences in opal stone price, we'll share the key factors contributing to the cost of these stones.

Opals can be called quite a rare discovery in geology.

Over 90%–95% of precious opals come from Australia, and their production volume varies from one year to another. Unlike other gemstones, these stones require certain environmental conditions for growing in rocks.

Moreover, not every mine is able to produce high-quality stones, and the quantity of suitable stones in each mine can hardly exceed a dozen stones. It is no surprise that the lack of availability causes price increases.

There is something truly special about Australian opal that distinguishes it from similar-looking rocks – a unique play of colours.

Such an optical phenomenon in the mineral world is extremely rare. Moreover, there are absolutely no duplicates among precious opals since each of them has its own color scheme and brightness level.

The brighter and more diverse colours (such as reds and oranges) are, the more valuable such gems will be.

Stones with dull colors and restricted range of hues tend to have a lower price. Contrariwise, stones with brilliant colours will cost considerably more. At Seven Opal, uniqueness is not just a feature but a core of each opal stone.

Unlike diamonds, opals do not have any standardized price chart. The value of each stone is determined by various features, including:

• Brightness – how vivid the reflections of colours;
• Body tone – darker backgrounds (as in black opals) are preferred since they add more brilliance;
• Pattern – the rarest patterns (for example, harlequin) have a significant impact on the price;
• Clarity – fewer cracks and inclusions lead to higher quality and price;
• Size/Thickness – larger and thicker stones tend to be more expensive.

Even when stones have identical sizes, their price may greatly differ due to other indicators listed above. This is why understanding the opal stone price requires more than just looking at size, it’s about overall character.

Extracting Australian opals is not an easy task since the gemstones are located in remote areas of the continent with difficult access.

Also, the process of opal formation takes hundreds of thousands of years and requires special environmental conditions, which results in rarity.

Thus, when it comes to mining opals, there is no certainty regarding the yield, which is another reason for the high cost.

Another unique feature of opals is their non-standardization. In contrast to other precious gems, with their standardized grading systems and predictable pricing, every opal is unique.

That is why buying an opal is like acquiring natural art since every stone is different in size, color, and pattern.

In the case of India, the significance of authentic opal sourcing should be added to this aspect. Trusted sellers, such as Seven Opal, will provide their customers with genuine and ethically sourced natural opal jewelry and stone.

Why are Australian opals expensive? 

The answer lies in numerous factors such as rarity, exceptional beauty, complex pricing, and difficulty of extracting.

In addition, it is difficult to extract and expensive due to many other factors involved. And last but not least, each gemstone is unique and cannot be found identical in nature anywhere else.

When you buy an australian opal, you buy more than a piece of jewelry; you buy something unrepeatable from nature.