What is a opal (black) worth?
A fine 2 carat opal (black), heated and without certified origin, is worth roughly $4,860–$8,910 at retail — about $3,375 per carat.
Resale is far lower: $1,350–$2,365. Coloured stones have no universal grading standard, so a buyer carries more risk and prices for it.
Treatment matters more than size
This is the single most important thing about opal (black) value, and the thing owners least often know about their own stone. An untreated stone with a laboratory report can be worth several times a heated one, and a fracture-filled or dyed stone can be worth a tiny fraction of either — while looking much the same across a counter.
Heating is routine, permanent and accepted throughout the trade. Assume any stone is heated unless a report says otherwise.
Origin, but only if certified
For opal (black), the sources that command a premium are Australia (Lightning Ridge), Ethiopia. A premium applies only when a recognised laboratory has certified the origin in writing. A seller's claim on its own is worth nothing.
Why the range is wide
Diamonds have the 4Cs and a dominant grading authority. Coloured stones have neither. Colour quality — which drives most of the value — is judged by eye, and two respected labs can describe the same stone differently. Any honest estimate for a opal (black) is a broader range than a diamond estimate, and ours is.
When a report pays for itself
If your stone might be worth more than about $2,000, a laboratory report on treatment and origin usually returns several times its cost. Without one a buyer must assume the least favourable case and price for that risk.
Value your own opal (black)
Enter the carat weight, quality, treatment and origin and get a figure matched to your stone rather than this example.
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