PAID COURSE - $50 The ultimate guide to photography and video work for Opals and other gemstones. How to work with white & black backgrounds. Lighting ideas and settings for professional cameras and mobile phones. Glossary of terms and tips included.

PAID COURSE $50 - Make it. Wear it. Love it. From rings, pendants, earrings, brooches, bangles and bracelets. Learn to craft beauty by hand. Enrol now and bring your jewellery dreams to life! Explore the full world of jewellery creation with our hands-on courses

PAID COURSE $50 - Dive deep into Cabochon cutting.

PAID ITEM $20 - A collection of 20 professional photographs of Opal gemstones. They come from a project we did with Damien Hirst the world famous UK artist. Working on a theme of shape and colour like his butterfly works. As a member of the Opal School community you have the option to own a copy of the very photographs we worked on. Perfect for framed prints at home or screen savers. These are for personnel use only at no point are you allowed to sell or print for commercial uses.

A collection of essential terms used across gemmology, jewellery, and gemstone trading.

Opal is one of the most mesmerizing gemstones in the world, but its creation is just as fascinating as its play-of-colour. Unlike diamonds or sapphires that crystallize deep within the Earth under immense pressure, opal forms in a gentler way, over millions of years, through a process that blends geology, water, and time.

In this guide, we’ll explore the best practices for caring for your opal gemstones, whether they are loose stones, part of a treasured jewellery piece, or part of a collection.

Understanding an opal’s hardness, stability, and durability is essential for collectors and jewellery lovers alike.

In gemstones, size often matters and opal is no exception. From tiny pin fire stones to large museum-quality specimens, the size and carat weight of an opal can greatly influence its rarity, value, and how its beauty is displayed.

When we look at an opal, we are mesmerized by its flashes of fire and unique patterns. But behind those colours lies another defining feature: the body tone. This is the underlying background colour of the opal, and it acts like the canvas on which opal’s fire is painted.

Brightness is one of the most important factors in determining an opal’s value, rarity, and visual appeal.

Clarity affects how light interacts with the gem, shaping both its appearance and its desirability. Just like in diamonds, opal clarity plays a major role in determining a stone’s value, rarity, and meaning.

Few gemstones capture the imagination like the opal. Known as the “Queen of Gems,” opals shimmer with a kaleidoscope of colours that shift and dance with every movement. This dazzling effect, known as “play-of-colour,” is what makes opals truly extraordinary—and at the heart of that brilliance lie their fire colour patterns.

Opal is shaped to reveal its natural play-of-colour and maximize beauty. Every opal is unique, and so the cutter must work with the stone rather than force it into a standard form.

Among all gemstones, opal stands apart for its play-of-colour — the shifting rainbow of light that dances across its surface. This dazzling display makes opal the “queen of gems,” admired for centuries for its beauty and mystery. Play-of-colour is not just beautiful; it also determines much of an opal’s value, rarity, and meaning.

Patterns not only influence an opal’s value and rarity but also carry a sense of symbolism, inspiring meanings drawn from nature, art, and spirit.

The result is a dazzling play-of-colour that can include fiery reds, deep blues, bright greens, and shimmering violets — often all in the same gem. These colours not only affect an opal’s value and rarity but also carry deep symbolic meanings.

Few gemstones captivate the imagination quite like opal, and at the heart of its magic lies the dazzling play-of-colour — flashes of fire that dance across its surface. These fiery hues make opal one of the most unique and expressive gemstones in the world, celebrated by jewellers, collectors, and spiritual seekers alike.

While inclusions in gems like diamonds are usually considered flaws, in opal they can sometimes add to the stone’s uniqueness and character. Understanding inclusions is essential for appreciating both the value and the individuality of each opal.

Opal is admired worldwide for its play-of-colour and unique beauty, but not all opals appear on the market exactly as nature created them. Some undergo treatments to improve their appearance, stability, or durability. Understanding these processes is essential for collectors, jewellers, and buyers who want to make informed choices.

Known as synthetic opal, these man-made stones mimic the dazzling play-of-colour of natural opals while offering affordability and consistency.

Among the many varieties of opal, hydrophane opal stands out for a remarkable reason: it can absorb and release water, changing its appearance in the process. This unusual trait gives the gemstone its name — from the Greek “hydro” (water) and “phanein” (to show).

Opals have long captivated the imagination with their kaleidoscopic colours and shimmering play of light. Known as the "Eye Stone," Opals are treasured not only for their beauty but also for their rich symbolism and metaphysical properties. Across cultures and centuries, they have been regarded as stones of transformation, creativity, and emotional healing.

For centuries, opals have captured the imagination of gem collectors, artisans, and royalty alike. Known as the Queen of Gems the opal is unlike any other gemstone in the world. With its kaleidoscope of shifting colours reds, blues, greens, and golds flashing across a single stone an opal is more than just a jewel, it’s a piece of living art. Today, beyond their aesthetic appeal, opals are increasingly seen as a smart investment, particularly when sourced from Australia.

When people think of opals, they often picture delicate gemstones — glowing with fire and colour, yet small enough to set into a ring. But hidden beneath the earth, nature occasionally creates giants. Among them stands a record-breaker: the world’s largest opal, a stone so immense it challenges how we imagine this gem of fire.

In this post, we’ll explore the different methods jewellers use to set opals and why care and craftsmanship matter so much with these precious stones.

In this post, we’ll explore the lapidary craft of cutting opal, from raw rough to finished cabochon.

A Journey Through Australia’s Opal Story If you’ve ever held an opal in your hand, you’ll know it’s no ordinary gemstone. It doesn’t just sparkle—it flashes, shimmers, and dances with every colour of the rainbow. And if that stone happens to be Australian, chances are you’re holding a little piece of the outback’s magic.