Throughout history, opal has symbolized good fortune and was believed to inspire love and creativity, enhance self-confidence and help navigate life changes. An October birthstone, opal symbolizes positive transformation, revealing the colorful attributes of those who wear it.
The quantities of beautiful opal available from Ethiopia at attractive prices have invigorated demand for this material around the world. In recent years, major fashion houses, jewelry brands and bespoke designers have been using it prominently in their collections. Francesco Mazzero of Parisian-based gem house Opalinda expects Ethiopian opal will be the highest-selling opal by volume in the coming years.
The stone was first discovered over 25 years ago near Mezezo, Shewa Province. The most recent find was in 2008, in Wegel Tena, Wollo (aka Welo) Province, yielding mostly white, translucent opal that displays play of color — an optical phenomenon resulting from the refraction of light through the gem’s microscopic silica spheres.
Mazzero, who organized five expeditions to Wollo Province, describes the Ethiopian gem as a boon for the opal market, with production stable and expanding. “The market is writing a new story with this opal that is big, bright and exciting,” he says.
He describes the material as having nice variations of body tone, from crystal (colorless) and white, to yellow, orange and dark chocolate.
Australia going down under? Kevin Dowdy of Dowdy Opal — a wholesaler, lapidary and manufacturer based in Tucson, Arizona — has specialized in Australian boulder opal since 1983. Around seven years ago, he started working with the Ethiopian variety, and today, it represents up to three-quarters of his inventory.
Australian opal production is down, and prices are way up, according to Dowdy, who notes that it’s expensive to mine there and difficult for new people to get into it. “There are no young miners coming up,” he says. Australian opal has priced itself out of the market, he adds — and Ethiopia is filling the void.
Most of the world’s opal is from Australia, with some production also coming in from Brazil, Mexico and the United States. But Mazzero believes Ethiopia’s Wollo Province will be a major source of opal for years to come.
Stable stone Opal is considered more fragile than most gems. As it is relatively soft and brittle, it can easily scratch and chip. It also has a tendency to crack, or craze — and although this occurs randomly, it typically happens when an opal removed from damp conditions dries too quickly, is exposed to sudden, intense light, or a combination of the two. Vibrations during cutting and polishing can cause cracks as well.
But Australian opal has an over-100-year track record of stability, setting the benchmark for all opals. While there were issues of cracking and crazing with some early production in the Shewa Province, instilling fear of Ethiopian opal among dealers, Mazzero says the Wollo material has nearly a decade of stability on its side.
A hydrated silicon dioxide, opal is composed of about 3% to 20% water in a structure of silica — the main component in glass. Unlike opals from Australia, which form in the sedimentary rock found in dried-out seabeds, opals from Ethiopia are a result of volcanic activity. They’re known as “hydrophane” (Greek for “water-loving”) opals because they’re able to absorb water, which changes their opacity from semi-translucent to transparent. On drying, they often change back again.
Material from Wollo reportedly gains anywhere from 0% to 50% weight when immersed in water, though most of it stays within the 5% to 15% range, according to Mazzero, who tests all the Ethiopian opals his company sells to see how much of a hydrophane effect they exhibit. “We measure the degree of absorption, and above a certain level, we won’t sell it,” he says. He advises buyers to deal with trusted sources that guarantee their opals. Dowdy says he was initially skeptical when he purchased some opal rough six months after the Wollo discovery hit the market. To test its stability, he stuck specimens in the freezer, put them under halogen light, and submerged them in ice water. “For six to seven years, I have tried everything I can to make it crack and craze. This opal is stable. The color is good. The quality is good. The price is good. It’s the best buy on the market.”
‘Splendor without overpowering’ Ranking 5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness, opal is best suited for jewelry that rarely encounters impacts, such as earrings, pendants and brooches. In rings, a bezel setting helps to protect the stone.
German gem house Paul Wild started cutting the material in 2012, fascinated by its warm shades and glimmering colors.
“Its strong optical behavior is captivating,” says Markus Wild, president of the Kirschweiler-based lapidary. He also appreciates the good quality, larger sizes and affordable prices. “Each gem is unique, and the white background of the opal, with its brilliant flashes of color, from delicate pastel to strongly luminous neon, allows designers to use it in any design. That’s what makes it so successful.”
This vivid color play comes alive most clearly in classically cut, round cabochons, says Wild. “Moving spheres emphasize this effect that gives the impression of character and splendor without overpowering.”
He cites a high demand for beads as well, explaining that “the possibility of creating strands with opal is difficult, but the thickness of precious material in the Ethiopian variety makes it possible.”
Artists like Pamela Huizenga of Stuart, Florida, mix opal’s ethereal colors with bright gems like spessartite, pink zircon and peach moonstone. “If you’ve never seen one in person, it’s hard to describe their magic,” she says.
For Houston designer Arpita Navlakha of Sutra, the opals look as if they are illuminated from within. “A good opal tells a story with its pattern. I love to bring that element to my designs, blending in gems like emerald, pink sapphire, spinel and coral.”
Flavor of the year Le Vian, of Chocolate Diamond fame, has hailed Ethiopian opal as 2017’s Gem of the Year and cites continued success into 2018 in its latest trend-forecasting report. The jewelry brand trademarked the name “Neopolitan” for top-range goods with high iridescence, lighter body color, and a strong play of color combining flashes of pistachio, strawberry and vanilla, according to Eddie LeVian, partner and chief designer at the company. It also branded “Cinnamon” to describe the orangey-brown editions of the stone.
“We see an opportunity — since this is a new mine producing larger quantities, and prices are good — to highlight this gem and popularize it,” says LeVian.
Image: ShutterstockArticle from the Rapaport Magazine - December 2017. To subscribe click here.