3.30 Ct. Cabochon Jelly Opal from Ethiopia

This 3.30 carat oval Jelly Opal from Ethiopia, measuring 13.30 by 9.39 by 6.12 millimeters, presents as a translucent cabochon with intense, multi color play. The stone is evaluated as eye clean at normal viewing distance, with no enhancements, and an excellent polish that maximizes its surface brilliance. The body hue is a warm honey to orange base, while the play of color exhibits vibrant green and fiery orange flashes that shift with changes in light and viewing angle. The cabochon cut and the slightly domed oval profile emphasize face up color and depth, allowing the opal to read strongly in a variety of jewelry settings without requiring a darker mounting to contrast the colors.

Compared to opals from other well known locations, this Ethiopian Jelly Opal occupies a distinct position in both hue and tone. Against Australian black opals, particularly those from Lightning Ridge, this stone shows a much lighter body tone and less inherent contrast, the Australian examples relying on dark body color to intensify play of color and create dramatic, high contrast flashes. Versus Australian crystal opals, which can show a similar translucency with vivid internal color, the jelly quality here provides a softer, more diffused tone that produces a glowing, lantern like effect rather than the glassy brilliance of fine crystal opal. In relation to Mexican fire opals, which are often prized for a saturated, stable orange or red body color but typically lack the shifting spectral play seen here, this Ethiopian example pairs the warm orange ground hue of fire opal with dynamic interference colors, delivering both body warmth and a changing palette. Compared with Peruvian or Andean opals that tend toward opaque, pastel blue to green bodies, the present piece reads as significantly warmer and more color active. The Natural Gemstone Company presents this opal as an example of the jelly variety that balances translucency and intense color, suitable for a piece where a luminous, fiery yet delicate appearance is desired, and where a lighter body tone is preferred over the deep contrast of black opal variants.