3.82 Ct. Black Opal from Australia

This listing describes a single Australian Black Opal, an opaque, multi color specimen weighing 3.82 carat, with dimensions of 13.33 by 4.04 by 8.35 millimeters, cut in a tablet style and offered in a fancy shape. The tablet cut presents a broad face to emphasize the play of color, and the surface shows an excellent polish that allows the iridescent pattern to read cleanly under standard lighting. This piece is assembled as a doublet enhancement, which pairs a thin slice of precious opal with a dark backing to intensify body tone and improve durability, a common and accepted practice for presenting thinner opal slices in wearable form. The opal exhibits intense color intensity, with dominant green and blue flashes and secondary notes of orange and red, set against a dark body that classifies it as Black Opal. The Natural Gemstone Company presents this gem with objective measurements and condition notes to assist in design and appraisal decisions.

The visual character of this Black Opal is best understood through direct color and tone comparison with gems from well known localities. Compared with Lightning Ridge Black Opal of the highest grade, which often shows deep saturated blues and rare broad sheet reds, this example shares the deep, dark body tone and vivid green blue play, although its patterning reads more as broad flame and patchwork than as large solid flashes of red. Against Coober Pedy white opal, which typically presents a pale body tone with pastel flashes, the present stone is considerably darker and more contrasty, so colors appear more saturated face up. Relative to Ethiopian Welo opal, which can display lively play of color but commonly has a lighter or hydrophane body and greater transparency, this Australian Black Opal maintains a stable non hydrophane opacity and a more consistent, pronounced contrast between play of color and backing. When contrasted with Mexican fire opal, which expresses a transparent to translucent orange to red body color without significant play of color, this Black Opal is fundamentally different, offering iridescent color change rather than body hue. In terms of hue intensity, some of the green notes in this stone approach the vividness associated with fine Colombian emeralds in tone, yet the optical phenomena are distinct, being iridescent and dynamic rather than transparent and velvety.

From a gemological and practical perspective, the tablet cut and doublet construction influence both appearance and setting requirements. The tablet cut maximizes the display area, allowing the play of color to present across a larger plane, while the doublet backing deepens the apparent body tone. Because the opal is a doublet, the thickness of the precious opal layer is an important consideration for long term wear. Settings that protect the stone edge and minimize thermal or mechanical shock are advisable, with bezel settings being particularly suitable for doublet tablets, as they provide edge support and limit exposure to solvents and impacts. The excellent polish contributes to strong luster and clean color transmission, and the reported dimensions and carat weight support confident design planning for rings, pendants, or custom pieces. Care instructions should be followed to preserve the integrity of the opal, avoiding prolonged exposure to heat, rapid temperature changes, or chemical cleaners that can compromise the adhesive interface in doublets, and routine inspection after manufacturing is recommended to ensure the bond remains stable.

Comparative perspective across famous gem producing regions helps frame the attributes of this Australian Black Opal for collectors and designers. Lightning Ridge remains the benchmark for classic Black Opal, known for dense, dark body tones and intense blue to red play, and the present example reflects that lineage in its depth and contrast, while its green dominant play aligns closely with some celebrated Ridge specimens that exhibit strong green blue spectrum activity. Queensland Boulder Opal, with its ironstone matrix, tends to incorporate earthy brown tones that modulate the opal color, and this specimen’s backing and edge material recall that grounded aesthetic without losing the brilliant iridescence. Compared with faceted sapphires from Kashmir or Sri Lanka, where saturated blue tones are prized for their velvety transparency, the opal’s blue appears more luminous and shifting due to diffraction rather than intrinsic body color. Compared with Colombian emeralds, which present uniform green saturation in transparency, the opal’s green manifests as directional flashes against a dark field. For those referencing provenance and presentation, The Natural Gemstone Company provides this Australian Black Opal doublet with full specification, enabling an informed selection for applications that require intense, dynamic color in a stable and wearable format.