[Jewelry making - Article 00913] - Re: [Orchid] Grams per carat - opals question

[Beth Rosengard]

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    I agree that it doesn't make sense to sell opal by weight.  Would
    you pay more for a 75 carat white opal with a little pin fire than
    for a 25 carat black harlequin with lots of red?  There are many
    factors that affect the beauty and value of an opal that have
    absolutely nothing to do weight. 

>       If it's an ironstone backing, it's most likely a boulder opal or
>     seam opal. A doublet is constructed, and usually has a black
>     backing piece, such as onyx or basinite. 

    Not necessarily.  It is quite common for opal doublets to be backed
    with ironstone or "boulder."  And too many dealers get away with
    calling these constructs "boulder opal doublets" which implies a
    greater value than just "doublets."  I tried to make this point with
    a dealer once at a gem show -- that a doublet was a doublet, no
    matter what it was backed with; he didn't like that...at all!  You
    can usually tell an ironstone-backed opal from a natural boulder opal
    pretty easily:  The opal layer is usually perfectly even and there's
    a very thin black line (the adhesive) between the opal and the
    ironstone. 

Beth

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