The Gemstone " Ethiopian Opal ''
A Short History of Ethiopian Opal
Precious Ethiopian opal mines in Ethiopia began entering the gem and jewelry market in 1994. This opal originated from a discovery made in the Menz Gishe District in the northern part of the Shewa Province. Opal from this area occurs in a wide range of body colors.
The most important opal discovery in Ethiopia to date was made in
2008 near the town of Wegel Tena in the Wello Province in thenorthern part of the country
. This opal can have
vivid play-of-color
flashing from a body color of clear, white, yellow, orange,or brown. It is more stable than the North Shewa opal. This material quickly became known in the trade as
“Welo opal,”
but the names “wello” and “wallo” are also encountered.
A third deposit was found in 2013, again in the Wello Province, but about 100 kilometers north of the Wegel Tena area. Much of theopal in this deposit has a translucent gray to black body color.
Current mining is by horizontal tunnels dug into the seam’soutcrop on steep hillsides.
Color And Brightness of Ethiopian Welo Opal
This refers to the fire within the opal. The translucent internal fire of these Ethiopian opals have properties that make the fire look 3D. This 3 dimensional colour aspect is rare in most opals. It looks like fire has been captured within the opal.
Ethiopian Opals are valued based on their bright flashes of fire colour. The brighter and more intense the color, the higher theprice of the opal. Stones with red flashes are rarer than the other colors while the green and blue flashes are more common.
Ethiopian Opal CUT's ?
Ethiopian Opal are usually cut similar to other colored stones, with ovals, cushions, trillions and emerald cuts being most common. Other popular Ethiopian Opal shapes include rounds, marquises, hearts, cabochons and pears. Ethiopian Opal gemstones can be cut into various shapes. They are usually cabochons, to maximize their brilliance, though faceted cuts are also available.
What’s the Future of Ethiopian Opals ?
The future is very bright for Ethiopian opals. They are becoming much more visible in the gem and jewelry market, and the gem-buying public is becoming aware of them. All of this has occurred without a major mining company or jewelry brand spending millions of dollars to promote them . They occur in a variety of translucent to transparent base-colors with vivid play-of-color in a variety of patterns. Ethiopian Opal is the soft pale blue variety of the Opal family of gemstones.
Ethiopian Opal Gemstone uses and Jewelry Design Ideas !
Ethiopian Opal is a versatile gemstone and is ideal for almost any type of jewelry, such as rings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, hair pins and many other beautiful ornaments. Ethiopian Opal can be worn in silver or gold settings. Silver And Gold settings enhance the Play-Of-Colors of Welo Ethiopian Opal....
Color And Brightness of Ethiopian Welo Opal
This refers to the fire within the opal. The translucent internal fire of these Ethiopian opals have properties that make the fire look 3D. This 3 dimensional colour aspect is rare in most opals. It looks like fire has been captured within the opal.
Ethiopian Opals are valued based on their bright flashes of fire colour. The brighter and more intense the color, the higher theprice of the opal. Stones with red flashes are rarer than the other colors while the green and blue flashes are more common.
Ethiopian Opal CUT's ?
Ethiopian Opal are usually cut similar to other colored stones, with ovals, cushions, trillions and emerald cuts being most common. Other popular Ethiopian Opal shapes include rounds, marquises, hearts, cabochons and pears. Ethiopian Opal gemstones can be cut into various shapes. They are usually cabochons, to maximize their brilliance, though faceted cuts are also available.
What’s the Future of Ethiopian Opals ?
The future is very bright for Ethiopian opals. They are becoming much more visible in the gem and jewelry market, and the gem-buying public is becoming aware of them. All of this has occurred without a major mining company or jewelry brand spending millions of dollars to promote them . They occur in a variety of translucent to transparent base-colors with vivid play-of-color in a variety of patterns. Ethiopian Opal is the soft pale blue variety of the Opal family of gemstones.
Ethiopian Opal Gemstone uses and Jewelry Design Ideas !
Ethiopian Opal is a versatile gemstone and is ideal for almost any type of jewelry, such as rings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, hair pins and many other beautiful ornaments. Ethiopian Opal can be worn in silver or gold settings. Silver And Gold settings enhance the Play-Of-Colors of Welo Ethiopian Opal....
