The actual value stems from the stone’s characteristics, like its shape, if it has milky white coloring, and how defined and attractive the pattern is. They’re mined from sandstone, limonite, marl, rhyolite, and basalt rock fissures.īecause of the gemstone’s easy accessibility, it’s often more competitively priced in its raw form. Common opals can be located in Mexico and the United States, with various deposits being mined in Guatemala, Brazil, Indonesia, Honduras, Russia, and Japan. These gems can be found worldwide but most opal mines are in Australia. These growing conditions can be compared to the frost on a windshield where the small frost flowers grow quickly, but because there’s too much moisture, they integrate, creating a solid sheet.Įvery piece of dendritic opal is said to be one-of-a-kind because no two dendritic patterns are the same.ĭendritic opal is easily accessible, which is one of the reasons it can be categorized as common. “Having branched from resembling a tree” and “relating to a dendrite or dendrites.”ĭendritic opals wouldn’t be dendritic without dendrites and they’re fairly easy to identify because of the fern-like inclusions that naturally create the bold patterns.ĭendrites describe any mineral growing in a delicate and intricate branching pattern, including:ĭendrites are believed to form when there’s rapid crystalization and a limited supply of iron, manganese, copper, or hydroxides.
Yellow dendritic opal gets its yellow hue from the minerals in the dendrite.Green dendritic opal gets its green hue from the impurities in the opal.
While the stone is typically opaque, it can sometimes be translucent or a combination of both.Īside from the common white and yellowish-brown stones, dendritic opal can be found in several other colors and I’ve listed them below with examples to help make identifying which one you have easier. The inclusions are dark-colored, found in brown, black, or dark green. Dendritic opal is typically yellowish-brown or white with a resinous luster and opalescent sheen. The most common dendritic inclusions in this opal type are metallic oxides like iron and manganese. Over the years the gem and mineral industry has given dendritic opal a few trade names such as “Mossy Opal” and “Moss Opal.” This common opal is unlike the Austrailan opal because it shows no play-of-color and is characterized by the inclusions displaying branch-like or mossy patterns.
This variety of opal contains dark inclusions that form incredible fern-like or tree-like patterns across the gemstone’s surface.ĭendritic opal is relatively abundant and a favorite among lapidary artists. There are a few gemstone varieties that have dendritic inclusions, dendritic opal is one of the well-known ones.
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