How to grade an opal ring

Opal has long been prized as one of the most beautiful gemstones for their gorgeous colors. Unlike other gemstones, opal is not with a single color, but tends to give off light of various colors in the depth. Opal rings can be divided into three groups, common, noble and precious. In this article, we will talk about how to grade an opal ring.
1. Check the color of the opal ring in the light. High quality opals have a brilliant reflection of various colors in the light. Opals that are hardly to distinguish the reflections are called common opals, and belong to the lowest grade. Opals with reds, gold and oranges are more valuable, while those with blues and greens are more common.
2. Look for the fragments of other stones in the opal at the jewelry store. This kind of opal is called a noble opal or gemstone opal, and its color can be seen in shade as well as in light. Noble opals are more valuable than common opal, but it still can’t be regarded as top grade.
3. The best opals have brilliant color without backing. When examine such a precious opal, no trace of elements or other minerals can be found in the stones. Precious opals shine brilliantly even when removed from the light. Some precious opals will change colors in different lights.
4. At last, examine the background color of the stone. When it comes to the background color alone, black is the best and white is the lowest. But the background color won’t change the grade of opal, and a white opal can be more valuable than a black opal.
In conclusion, the brilliant reflections in the opal determine the grade of the opals. The background color has some influence on the value of the opals, but won’t change its grade.