Though they may look similar at times, white opal and crystal opal have distinct differences. This big difference boils down to two main characteristics; translucency and transparency. Crystal o...
How is it that opals from the same place can be so different? In today’s video, I explain the difference between black opal and crystal opal and how you can spot them!Crystal opalA great way to che...
A few weeks ago, we posted about Blue Opal and some new parcels we had in stock. One of our subscribers commented and set us a challenge to cut one of the parcels currently up for sale.Here in this...
This is part 2 of opal patterns explained (you can catch up with part 1 here). Now that you are familiar with the differences between Rolling Flash and Broad Flash patterns, we introduce another fi...
Every opal is unique but with my help, there are a few common patterns that you’ll be able to recognise! Today I’m going to take you through some of the stones in stock and talk about five differe...
There are so many ways to pay it forward and at Black Opal Direct we are passionate about children’s education.Did you know there are over 300 million children today who are unable to attend school...
Last weekend was the Lightning Ridge 2013 Opal Festival. A celebration of all things opal from all around Australia. The town population swells to double, and every available bit of accommodation i...
Many of you have been asking about maintaining a good polish with opal. In my opinion, the polish on a stone makes or breaks it. The finer the polish, the more you start to bring out all the play o...
Kids love messing around, and if there is water involved, they seem to enjoy it more. So today, we thought you might like to see Justin teaching kids to cut opal. It’s school holidays over here – a...