Opal Gemstone Beads
Opal is a natural gemstone made from silica mineral and 90% are found in Australia. What makes Opal distinct is what is referred to as ‘play of color’, a phenomenon that occurs when light hits the chips of silica inside the gemstone and a rainbow of different colors refract inside the stone.
Opal Gemstone Beads for Elegant & Colorful Jewelry
White African Opal 6mm Round w/ Red Matrix - 15-16 Inch
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
White African Opal is a white to cream to light tan stone with veining of black or gray. Like all Opals, it is a form of hydrated amorphous silica,...
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
Pink Opal 4mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch
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$24.00
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$24.00
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$24.00
$24.00
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$24.00
Pink Opal is a variety of non to precious opal, meaning that it has lustre and some translucency without the fire or color play associated with pre...
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$24.00
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$24.00
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$24.00
$24.00
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$24.00
Mexican Fire Opal 8-20mm Top Drill Rough Drops 15-16 Inch
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$32.00
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$32.00
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$32.00
$32.00
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$32.00
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$32.00
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$32.00
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$32.00
$32.00
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$32.00
Australian Green Opal 8mm Round Faceted - 15-16 Inch - CLEARANCE
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$45.00
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$45.00
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$45.00
$45.00
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$45.00
Australian Green Opal is a variety of Common Opal which is a mixture of Opal and nontronite. Common Opal is generally opaque, without the play of c...
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$45.00
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$45.00
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$45.00
$45.00
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$45.00
Dendritic Black Opal 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
$23.00
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$23.00
This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
$23.00
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$23.00
Yellow Opal 12-16mm Irregular Faceted Coin A Grade - 15-16 Inch
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$39.00
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$39.00
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$39.00
$39.00
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$39.00
Yellow Opal is transparent to opaque, milky white to pale yellow in color. It sometimes features dark brown to black dendritic inclusions that bran...
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$39.00
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$39.00
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$39.00
$39.00
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$39.00
Purple Dendritic Opal 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
$14.00
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$14.00
This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
$14.00
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$14.00
Purple Dendritic Opal 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
$14.00
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$14.00
This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...
View full details
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$14.00
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$14.00
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$14.00
$14.00
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$14.00
White African Opal 8x10mm Nugget - 15-16 Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
White African Opal is a white to cream to light tan stone with veining of black or gray. Like all Opals, it is a form of hydrated amorphous silica,...
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Australian Boulder Opal Faceted 3mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$32.00
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$32.00
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$32.00
$32.00
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$32.00
Boulder Opal is a golden-brown to dark brown stone, displaying these colors in patterns of parallel bands. It is considered a precious Opal, and fo...
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$32.00
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$32.00
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$32.00
$32.00
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$32.00
Blue Opal 4mm Microfaceted Round - 15-16 Inch
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$24.00
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$24.00
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$24.00
$24.00
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$24.00
Blue Peruvian Opal naturally occurs with swirling patterns of deep blues, blue to greens and greens swirled with yellow to green, rust, brown and o...
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$24.00
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$24.00
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$24.00
$24.00
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$24.00
Ethiopian Opal 3-4mm Rondelle - 15-16 Inch
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$120.00
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$120.00
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$120.00
$120.00
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$120.00
Ethiopian Opal was first discovered in Ethiopia in 1994, with additional major finds in 2008 and 2013. Beautiful specimens of Precious Opal, Fire O...
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$120.00
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$120.00
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$120.00
$120.00
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$120.00
Madagascar Green Dendritic Opal 6mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...
View full details
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$16.00
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$16.00
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$16.00
$16.00
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$16.00
Australian Boulder Opal Faceted 5mm Round - 15-16 inch
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$52.00
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$52.00
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$52.00
$52.00
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$52.00
Boulder Opal is a golden-brown to dark brown stone, displaying these colors in patterns of parallel bands. It is considered a precious Opal, and fo...
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$52.00
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$52.00
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$52.00
$52.00
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$52.00
Pink Opal 10mm Round A Grade - 15-16 Inch
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$42.00
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$42.00
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$42.00
$42.00
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$42.00
Pink Opal is a variety of non to precious opal, meaning that it has lustre and some translucency without the fire or color play associated with pre...
View full details
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$42.00
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$42.00
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$42.00
$42.00
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$42.00
Opal (Dyed) 4-7x10-11mm Sky Blue Graduated Irregular Round - 15-16 Inch
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
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$12.00
$12.00
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$12.00
Madagascar Green Dendritic Opal 8mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$20.00
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$20.00
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$20.00
$20.00
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$20.00
This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...
View full details
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$20.00
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$20.00
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$20.00
$20.00
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$20.00
Pink Opal 6mm Round Faceted - Large Hole Beads
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
$23.00
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$23.00
Pink Opal is a variety of non to precious opal, meaning that it has lustre and some translucency without the fire or color play associated with pre...
View full details
Original price
$23.00
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Original price
$23.00
Original price
$23.00
$23.00
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$23.00
Pink Opal 3mm Table Cut Cube A Grade - 15-16 Inch
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$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
$23.00
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$23.00
Pink Opal is a variety of non to precious opal, meaning that it has lustre and some translucency without the fire or color play associated with pre...
View full details
Original price
$23.00
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Original price
$23.00
Original price
$23.00
$23.00
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$23.00
Dendritic Green Opal 10mm Round - 15-16 Inch
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$38.00
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$38.00
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$38.00
$38.00
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$38.00
This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...
View full details
Original price
$38.00
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$38.00
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$38.00
$38.00
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$38.00
Dendritic Agate 6x8mm Corner Drilled Table Cut Cube Bead - 15-16 Inch
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$18.00
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$18.00
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$18.00
$18.00
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$18.00
Dendritic Agate is not banded like other Agates, and therefore is not an Agate in the strictest terms. Rather than banding, Dendritic Agate has bra...
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$18.00
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$18.00
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$18.00
$18.00
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$18.00
Pink Opal 6mm Square Faceted - 15-16 Inch
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$44.00
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$44.00
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$44.00
$44.00
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$44.00
Pink Opal is a variety of non to precious opal, meaning that it has lustre and some translucency without the fire or color play associated with pre...
View full details
Original price
$44.00
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Original price
$44.00
Original price
$44.00
$44.00
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$44.00
Australian Green Opal 10mm Round Faceted - 15-16 Inch - CLEARANCE
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$59.00
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$59.00
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$59.00
$59.00
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$59.00
Australian Green Opal is a variety of Common Opal which is a mixture of Opal and nontronite. Common Opal is generally opaque, without the play of c...
View full details
Original price
$59.00
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Original price
$59.00
Original price
$59.00
$59.00
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$59.00
Dendritic Opal 3x6mm Faceted Rondelle - 15-16 Inch
Original price
$23.00
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$23.00
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$23.00
$23.00
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$23.00
This variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, mangane...
View full details
Original price
$23.00
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Original price
$23.00
Original price
$23.00
$23.00
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$23.00
About this stone
Color
WhiteBlackFireBoulderCrystalPinkYellow
Origin
AustraliaEthiopiaMexicoPeruBrazil
Mohs hardness
5.5–6.5
Treatment categories
NaturalStabilizedSmoke-treated
Industry-standard treatment
Most precious opal is natural; some Ethiopian welo opal is smoke-treated to darken body color; doublet/triplet assemblies are separate categories
Mineral chemistry
Hydrated amorphous silica (SiO2·nH2O), water content 3–21%
Crystal system
Amorphous
Stone family
Opal
Birthstone
October
Common cuts
RoundFaceted RoundRondelle
Common sizes
3mm4mm6mm8mm
Care notes
Moderate hardness (Mohs 5.5–6.5) with high water content. Avoid ultrasonic, steam, dry/hot environments, and harsh chemicals; mild soap and soft cloth only.
Related stones
Opalite (glass), Common Opal, Fire Opal, Welo Opal
Frequently asked questions
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What's the difference between common opal and precious opal?
Precious opal shows play of color — the rainbow flash that moves as the stone is rotated, caused by microscopic silica spheres diffracting light. Common opal does not show play of color; it is opaque to translucent and prized for its body color (pink, blue, green, yellow, etc.) rather than its flash. Most opal in the bead trade is common opal — Peruvian pink, blue, green, and yellow opal are all common opal. Play-of-color opal beads (Ethiopian Welo, occasional Australian) are specialty and stocked intermittently. -
Is opal soft? Can it scratch easily?
Opal is Mohs 5.5–6.5 — softer than agate, jasper, and quartz (all 6.5–7). Opal beads can scratch against harder beads on the same strand or against metal findings during wear. For mixed-stone designs, pair opal with stones of similar hardness or use softer spacers to protect the opal surface. Opal works well in earrings, pendants, necklaces, and low-impact bracelets; ring use is possible but reserves the stone for less-active wear. -
Why does opal crack? What is crazing?
Crazing is a fine network of internal cracks that develops in opal when the stone dehydrates too rapidly. Opal contains 3–21% water by weight locked into its silica gel structure; if that water is lost quickly — through direct sun exposure, heat sources, dry indoor environments, or ultrasonic cleaners — the structure can fracture internally. Crazing is permanent. Standard care: store opal away from direct heat, clean with a damp soft cloth not solvents, avoid ultrasonic and steam cleaning, and avoid prolonged direct sunlight. -
Is Ethiopian opal different from other opal?
Ethiopian opal (often called Welo opal after the Wollo Province where it's mined) is hydrophane — it absorbs water and temporarily loses transparency when wet, returning to normal as it dries. This is a property of the porous silica structure unique to certain opal deposits. Practically: don't submerge Welo opal during wear (showers, swimming), avoid ultrasonic and steam cleaning, and let it dry naturally if it does get wet. The visual change is temporary if brief, but repeated wet/dry cycles stress the stone. -
Is yellow opal natural or dyed?
Both exist in the bead market. Natural yellow opal — often Indonesian or Mexican common opal — is a muted mustard to honey tone. Bright neon yellow or saturated lemon-yellow is a dye signal; natural opal's palette is soft. Treatment, when present — ask before buying if a strand doesn't specify. Across Dakota's catalog, color tags identify yellow opal but treatment posture per strand should be confirmed on the individual listing.