The Most Famous Opals in the World

90 percent of the world's opals are mined in Australia. Naturally, a number of large, fine opals have been discovered here. Here are a few more details on the most famous opals in the world.

The Olympic Australis

Think about an 11-inch-long, 4 ¾-inch-tall and 4 ½-inch-wide opal. Yes, we are talking about the Olympic Australis, the largest gem opal in the world. It has the weight of 17,000 carats (3.45 kg). It is said that more than 7000 carats can be cut from the stone, but the jeweller who owns it, Altmann & Cherny have no intention of cutting it.

The Olympic Australis was found in 1956 at a mine in South Australia's Coober Pedy. That year the Olympic games were being held in Australia, so the miner decided to name the gem after the Olympic games. The Olympic Australis is 99 percent gem and only one per-cent soil. At its last estimation, the gem was valued at AUD2,500,000.

The Aurora Australis

The Aurora Australia is a black opal, and the most valuable in the world at that. The gem was found in Lightening Ridge, in NSW. Altmann & Cherny brought it in a semi rough state and they later cut and polished it into a harlequin pattern. The opal has a black background, interspersed with green, blue and red colours. The gem was named Aurora Australis after the southern lights. The value of the gem is pegged at AUD1,000,000.

The Queen's Opal

The Queen's Opal is also known as the Andamooka Opal. The story of the opal began in 1954, when the South Australian government made it known that it was looking for the best opal ever mined in the opal fields of South Australia to present to the Queen Elizabeth II. The queen was slated to visit Australia for the first time. Altmann & Cherny had submitted a rough opal from a mine in Andamooka. The stone was chosen by the government and it was cut and polished at Altmann & Cherny. Its weight after it was cut was 203 carat and it shone with colours like blue, green and red. It was later set into a palladium necklace.

Pride of Australia/Red Emperor

The Pride of Australia or the Red Emperor was discovered in 1915 at Phone Line. It is called the Pride of Australia because its shape resembles that of the continent. The opal has blue and black veins, interspersed with red streaks. Unfortunately, the Pride of Australia was stolen in 1961 from the Forest Lawn Memorial Museum, USA, where it was on display. It has not been found yet.

The Halley's Comet Opal

The Halley's Comet Opal was named so because it was mined in 1886, when the Halley's Comet was seen. Like the Halley's Comet, which visits the skies over the earth once every 75 years, the Halley's Comet Opal was also a rare find. It is an uncut black opal, the largest one found till date and was unearthed at Lightening Ridge, NSW. In 2006, it was on sale for $ 1.2 million.