This incredible black opal is cut in a freeform shape. It makes the gem less attractive, and it can sometimes signal a lack of stability. A cloudy or milky background color lowers the value of any opal. Each provides the best background for displaying play-of-color in its individual opal type. For example, in crystal opal, experts admire transparency, while in black opal they prefer an opaque background. Experts prize different levels of clarity for different opal types. An opal’s clarity can range all the way from completely transparent to opaque. With an opal, clarity is its degree of transparency and freedom from inclusions. Dead spots detract from opal value, especially if there are several of them. A dead spot is an area of the gem in which no play-of-color appears and only background color is visible. In addition to the arrangement and shape of the play-of-color patches, buyers must consider extinction, or “dead spots,” when evaluating pattern. In a close-up view, you can see the details of a black opal’s near-perfect harlequin pattern. As with any play-of-color, no matter what the pattern, colors must be bright for the stone to be valuable. In general, connoisseurs prefer large, closely arranged patches of color over tiny, scattered dots.
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