Opal value

Gem Related Discussion
1

Hi everyone I have this beautiful white 5ct Australian opal from coober pedy would anyone have any idea of a value ?
And would anyone know a good place to sell it please ?

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Thank you

2

Hi Erin,

In my experience opal can be quite tricky to sell. Jewellers prefer stones calibrated to standard sizes, unless you get lucky and they’re looking for something different. There is a specialised online opal auction site but you have to prove you’ve a track record of selling opal before you can join up. Even then the prices you get tend to be on the low side unless you’ve got something exceptional unfortunately.

Then there are sites like eBay or Craigslist but they’re unregulated and flooded with cheap stones so you’re not likely to get market value if you sell on there. The one site I’ve had some luck with is Catawiki which is an online auction site but for special items. They don’t specialise in gemstones but you do have to be authenticated and any gems sold do need to be verified by a lab before they’ll let you list them. The prices I’ve seen things go for haven’t exactly been consistent nor follow any logic so I imagine the buyers are collectors rather than gemmologists/jewellers etc.

A quick internet search should show you places nearby you could take your stone for a valuation, though you’d need to pay for the service. It’s hard to appraise an opal from a photo but I’d have a guess at yours being worth anywhere from $30 to $150 per carat but it really depends on the body tone, how bright the colours are, if there are any dead spots etc which can only be seen in person.

3

Thank you very much that helps a lot
I really appreciate it :+1:

4

Hi Erin,
That is a really nice piece of CP Opal!
Face Book -

  • Opal Empires and Jewellery - Jullian is a Cooper Pedy devotee, many other sellers there
  • Australian Opal Miners and Buyers - likewise Steven

You need to make a little movie so that everybody can see the light play and look at the cutting.

Opal Auctions.com has a lot of Cut Stones and Rough, but I think it is only frequented by people looking for a bargain, but may give you a good idea of the value you should be looking for - there is retail selling (without the auctions) also
Cheers,
Nick