Opals
Opals are not found in abundance worldwide and are quite expensive to buy. Then there is the cost of shipping them over here to the UK. We have a couple of small Ethiopian Opals but we mainly sell boulder opal from Queensland or from the Koroit area. Those two places might be the same. Geography, unbelievably, is not our strong point.
We will buy opal whenever we see it at auction, but we are eyeing up an Australian supplier which will give us opal direct from the source. Please enjoy looking at our opals for sale below.
Do You Find Opal in Scotland?
Technically you can find opal in lots of places and yes, it does exist in Scotland. However, the opal you find in the UK is either in trace amounts or what we call "Common Opal". Neither of these are commercially viable or of gem quality. There is at least one entry in Mindat for opal in Fife, though, so all hope is not lost.
The truth is that Scotland may once have been sub-tropical, but that geologically we never experienced the correct conditions for opal to form. What we do have is a stunning array of chalcedony, jasper, and other quartz related minerals, instead.
Can You Find Opals in the UK?
Although conditions in Scotland might not have been favourable towards the formation of opals, there are places in the UK where gem quality opal has been recorded.
These locations include the Gunheath China Clay Pit and the Botallack mines in Cornwall, and in Breage, which has a specimen on display at the Natural History Museum in London.
What's the Difference Between Gem Quality Opal and Common Opal?
To put it as simply as possible, gem quality opal has those fantastic patches and ripples and sparks of colour which can look like fireworks. They may glitter green or indigo or red or orange - but they do shine.
On the other hand, common opal retains none of the flashes of colour which gem quality opal displays. Common opal is a very cloudy, watered-down version of the sought after mineral. It might also be described as a milky opal, which is far more common than the high end material.