Opal Buying Guide

Opal gemstones are evaluated a little differently than other gemstones. The International Gem Society opal price guide features a grading system and terms unique to opals. A full description of these differences can be found in our Premium article on Appraising Opals. For the benefit of those interested in opal buying, here is a brief explanation of these terms.

• Opals have grades of below commercial, commercial, good, fine, and extra fine. These assessments cover an opal’s colors, directionality of flashes, imperfections, and cut.
• Body tones, from N1 (black) to N9 (white), describe the base color of a stone, without play of color. This system is used to distinguish black, dark, light, and white opals. Stones from N1 to N4 are considered black opals. N5 to N6 are considered dark opals. N7 to N8 are considered light opals. An N9 is considered a white opal.

Opal Buying And The 4 Cs

Opals can still be evaluated in terms of color, clarity, cut, and carat. However, you’ll find opals have some additional conditions that must be taken into account to properly judge their value.

Color

Color is the most import factor for…

Donald Clark, CSM IMG

Donald Clark, CSM founded the International Gem Society in 1998. Donald started in the gem and jewelry industry in 1976. He received his formal gemology training from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Society of Gemcutters (ASG). The letters “CSM” after his name stood for Certified Supreme Master Gemcutter, a designation of Wykoff’s ASG which has often been referred to as the doctorate of gem cutting. The American Society of Gemcutters only had 54 people reach this level. Along with dozens of articles for leading trade magazines, Donald authored the book Modern Faceting, the Easy Way.

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