The term blue green opal is used for many types of opal. Blue green opal can be black opal or crystal or even white opal. The blue green in opal is the color that shows up in the stone. When you move it around in the light and is considered gem quality opal.
Blue green opal in Lightning Ridge can be a range of qualities from low quality opal to top gem opal. The prices on the fields can range from $50 per carat right up to $2000 per carat. If a blue green colored opal has a harlequin pattern it will be worth much more than an opal that has a common pattern like large flash or pin fire.
Blue green opal can range in sizes from under a carat to 300 or 400 carats. Obviously the larger opals are more rare and valuable. One stone that was mined in the early days at Lightning Ridge was a name stone called the Aurion Queen. It was an opal that weighed about 300 carats and was sold to a large opal exporter for about $50,000. It then was kept in a collection for many years until it was dropped and it smashed in half. The opal was re-cut to 2 smaller stones.
Blue green opal was the backbone of the opal industry for many years being the most sold solid opal in parcels being exported to Japan. The blue greens are in my opinion the most value for money since they don’t have the price tag of a red on black opal.
Out at the opal mining Field called Jag Hill in Lightning Ridge Blue green opals are the most predominant type of opal that is mined. For more information on opal cutting or purchasing opal. Please email blackopalsdirect@live.com or you can call me on Skype My username is Blackopaldirect and it’s free!
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