0.78 Ct. Cabochon White Opal from Ethiopia

If you are searching for an opal that brings a balance of delicate charm and everyday wearability, this White Opal from Ethiopia is the answer. Weighing 0.78 carat, cut as a smooth cabochon in an elegant oval shape, and measuring 8.13 by 6.20 by 2.56 mm, this gem sits perfectly between an intimate accent stone and a modest centerpiece. Its opaque, milky body provides a soft, serene backdrop for the multi color play that moves through the surface, and the cabochon cut maximizes that movement while offering a comfortable profile for rings, pendants, or earrings. Graded slightly included when evaluated at eye level, and showing medium light color intensity with an excellent polish, this opal has been heat treated to gently enhance clarity and color, without compromising the natural character that collectors and wearable gemstone lovers prize. At The Natural Gemstone Company we select pieces that meet both aesthetic standards and practical considerations, so you can choose this gem with confidence whether you are designing a bespoke engagement ring or expanding a curated collection.

Looked at beside other members of the opal family, this Ethiopian White Opal offers a distinct mood that sets it apart. Compared with black opal, which is prized for dramatic, high contrast flashes against a dark ground, this white opal presents a softer, more ethereal glow. The play of color appears as buoyant flashes of pink, soft red, pale green and occasional cool blue that emerge as the light shifts, delivering a gentle animation rather than the bold, disco like bursts seen in darker opals. Against crystal opal, which can show extraordinary transparency and depth, this piece favors opacity and a luminous, milky diffusion of color that reads as more subtle and wearable in everyday jewelry. Relative to Australian white opal specimens, Ethiopian examples often offer a lighter, more opaline milkiness with a lively play of color that can surprise from different angles, and the applied heat treatment here has raised the clarity and focus of those flashes without creating an artificial look. If you also compare the reflective qualities to other adularescent stones such as moonstone, you will notice that opal display is a complex internal diffraction of light producing multiple spectral hues, while moonstone shows a single soft sheen. That complexity gives this opal a jewel like personality that reads as both romantic and intriguing.

Practicality and design are as important as beauty, and this opal answers both. The cabochon profile and excellent polish make it ideal for bezel settings that protect the dome while showcasing the colors, or for low prong designs that let the stone breathe and reveal its play of color from many angles. Because it is slightly included at eye level we recommend settings that provide secure support around the girdle, and daily wearers will appreciate that the medium light body color hides minor surface features while allowing the internal color to sing. As a White Opal of Ethiopian origin with thoughtful enhancement by heat treatment, this gem represents a rare meeting of affordability and character, a perfect choice when you want a piece that feels personal rather than flashy, unique rather than mass produced. At The Natural Gemstone Company we stand behind our grading and imagery, and we are ready to help you choose the setting that best preserves the opal and amplifies its color. If your search is for an opal that ends the hunt and begins a story, this 0.78 carat, oval cabochon is precisely that stone.