Opal Beads Guide: Ethiopian, Peruvian Pink, Yellow and Dendritic Opal
Opal is hydrated silica, a solid that holds water inside its structure and never forms crystals, and it rates 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale. It comes in 2 kinds: precious opal, which flashes with play of color, and common opal, which shows a solid body color without it. Most opal beads are common opal, such as Peruvian pink, yellow and dendritic opal, while Ethiopian opal is the precious opal you will most often meet on a bead strand. Opalite, despite the name, is man-made glass. Here is how each type looks and how to care for it.
You can compare all of them in our opal bead collection.
What Is Opal?
Opal forms at low temperature, when silica-rich groundwater seeps into cracks and cavities in rock and slowly loses water, leaving a hardened gel of microscopic silica spheres. Most opal holds about 6% to 10% water by weight, and some holds much more. Because it has no regular crystal structure, mineralogists class it as a mineraloid rather than a true mineral. That water is why heat, very dry storage and sudden temperature changes can make opal craze, a network of fine surface cracks.
Precious Opal vs Common Opal
In precious opal the silica spheres are all the same size and stacked in neat rows. When the spacing is right, the rows split light into flashes of spectral color that shift as the stone moves; this is play of color. In common opal the spheres are mixed in size and jumbled, so the stone shows only its body color, set by traces of iron, manganese or organic compounds. Common opal is far more abundant, which is why most opal beads are common opal.
Opal Types at a Glance
| Type | Color and look | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Ethiopian (Welo) opal | White to honey, translucent, with flashes of green, orange and blue | Precious opal; often hydrophane, so it absorbs water |
| Mexican fire opal | Translucent yellow, orange to cherry red | Valued for body color; usually little or no play of color |
| Australian boulder opal | Brown ironstone with seams and swirls of opal | Opal cut together with its host rock, from Queensland |
| Peruvian pink opal | Blush, rose and salmon pink, opaque | Common opal from the Andes of Peru |
| Yellow opal | Butter to honey yellow, often mottled | Common opal, often sold as African yellow opal |
| Dendritic opal | White, pink, brown or black with dark branching marks | Common opal with manganese or iron oxide dendrites |
| Morado, green and Mongolian opal | Lavender, mossy green, mint, cream and tan | Common opals from Mexico, Australia and Mongolia |
| Fire lace opal | Bronze, gold and grey with cream lacy veins | Trade name for a stone veined with common opal |
| Opalite (syn) | Milky glass, blue on dark and orange when backlit | Man-made glass, not opal |
Ethiopian Opal: Play of Color, but Keep It Dry
Large deposits found in 2008 in the Wollo province of Ethiopia, often spelled Welo, made precious opal affordable enough to cut as small bead rondelles. The body is white to warm honey and translucent, with flashes of green, orange, yellow and blue that move as the bead turns; see our smooth Ethiopian opal rondelles.
Much Welo opal is hydrophane, meaning it is porous enough to soak up water. When wet it can turn clear or glassy and its play of color can fade; as it dries the color returns, which can take several days. Anything else it soaks up, such as lotion, oil, perfume or dye, may not come back out and can stain it for good. Treat Ethiopian opal as a dry stone: take it off before washing your hands, showering or swimming, and wipe it with a soft dry cloth.
Mexican Fire Opal and Australian Boulder Opal
Fire opal is named for its body color, not for flashes: a transparent to translucent yellow, orange or red that glows when light passes through it. Mexico, especially the state of Querétaro, is the classic source, where it forms in cavities in volcanic rock. Our Mexican fire opal rondelles run from honey to cherry red in an ombre strand.
Boulder opal formed in thin seams inside ironstone boulders in Queensland, Australia, and it is cut together with its dark brown host. Each boulder opal bead is mostly chocolate ironstone with golden swirls; some beads carry flashes of opal in their cracks and others are mostly ironstone.
Peruvian Pink Opal
Peruvian pink opal is a common opal from the Andes of southern Peru, opaque to faintly translucent, in shades from blush to rose and salmon. Some strands are a clean pink; others lean beige or tan. Much of the stone is opal intergrown with a fibrous clay mineral called palygorskite, and the pink is thought to come mainly from organic compounds, and long exposure to strong sun may fade it. Our pink opal beads include plain pink strands and dendritic pink opal with dark branching marks.
Yellow Opal
Yellow opal is a common opal in pale butter to warm honey and mustard yellow, opaque or slightly translucent at the edges, often with tan mottling or small darker specks. Iron in the silica gives the color. Yellow opal beads are often sold as African yellow opal. The translucent yellow honey opal sits at the clearer, warmer end of the range. Browse all of our yellow opal beads.
Dendritic Opal
Dendrites are the dark, fern-like or tree-like marks in dendritic opal. They are not fossils or plants: they are mineral growths of manganese or iron oxide that spread along hairline cracks as mineral-rich water seeped through the stone. White dendritic opal sets black branches on a milky ground, pink dendritic opal puts them on rose, black dendritic opal is the darker version, and brown dendritic opal runs through amber, honey and cream. Dendritic opal is also sold as merlinite, a trade name that is used for indigo gabbro too, so check which stone a merlinite listing means. See all of our dendritic beads.
Other Common Opals
Morado opal is a Mexican common opal in lavender, purple, cream and tan; its name is Spanish for purple, and our morado opal disks mix those colors bead to bead. Australian green opal is an opaque mossy green, and Mongolian opal blends pastel mint, cream and honey brown. Fire lace opal is a trade name for a bronze, gold and grey stone laced with cream veins of common opal.
Opalite Is Glass, Not Opal
Opalite is a man-made opalescent glass, which is why we list it as Opalite (syn) in our synthetic beads collection. Against a dark background it glows milky blue, and held up to a light it turns orange to amber. Its color is perfectly even, tiny gas bubbles are common inside, and it has no play of color. Opalite rounds are a popular, inexpensive bead in their own right; just know you are buying glass.
How to Tell Opal From Look-Alikes
Lab-grown and imitation opal copy play of color, but the pattern tends to repeat across the whole bead in a regular honeycomb or snakeskin texture. In genuine opal, play of color is patchy and irregular.
Rose quartz is translucent and glassy with a brighter shine; pink opal is opaque with a soft, porcelain-like surface. Dyed stones made to look pink often show color pooled in cracks.
Yellow jade, as the name is used in the bead trade, is usually serpentine, with a more even, greenish yellow and a slick, slightly greasy feel.
Dendritic agate, such as Montana agate, is translucent chalcedony with marks that seem to float inside the bead; dendritic opal is opaque, so you see its marks near the surface.
Opal Hardness and Care
Opal is 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, softer than quartz, so store it apart from harder beads that can scratch it and favor necklaces and earrings over bracelets that take knocks. Because it holds water, it dislikes heat, very dry air and sudden temperature changes. Common opals such as pink, yellow and dendritic opal can be wiped with a damp cloth or washed briefly in mild soapy water and dried; Ethiopian opal should stay dry. Skip ultrasonic and steam cleaners for all opal, and put opal on after perfume and lotion.
Opal Meaning and History
The Romans ranked opal among the most precious gems, and Pliny the Elder praised it for holding the colors of several gems at once. Its reputation turned in 1829, when Sir Walter Scott's novel Anne of Geierstein tied an opal to a character's death and European sales fell sharply. Opal is the traditional October birthstone, shared with tourmaline in our October birthstone beads. In metaphysical belief, opal is associated with creativity, inspiration and emotional expression, and pink opal is linked with gentleness and the heart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between opal and opalite?
Opal is hydrated silica that forms in rock. Opalite is a man-made glass that imitates opal's milky glow; it turns orange when held up to a light and has no play of color.
Is Ethiopian opal real opal?
Yes. Ethiopian opal from Wollo is precious opal with play of color. Much of it is hydrophane, so it absorbs water and should be kept dry.
Why does my Ethiopian opal look clear?
It has most likely absorbed water. Let it dry at room temperature, away from heat, and its color and play of color usually return as it dries, which can take up to a week.
Is pink opal real opal?
Yes. Peruvian pink opal is common opal. It has no play of color, which is normal for common opal.
What is the October birthstone?
October has 2 birthstones: opal, the traditional stone, and tourmaline.
Shop Opal Beads
Our opal bead collection holds Ethiopian, fire, boulder, morado, green, yellow and dendritic opal in smooth, faceted and microfaceted cuts, with separate pages for pink opal beads and dendritic beads. To read more, see The History and Origin of Birthstones and our guide to the Mohs hardness scale.
These are traditional beliefs, not claims of physical effect. Crystals are not a substitute for medical care.
Leave a comment