Australian Opal Price in Pakistan: Black, Boulder and White Opal Explained

Australian opal is priced first on its type and body tone, then on the brightness and pattern of its play-of-colour, and only then on size. A dark solid black opal with bright, broad flashes sits at the top. A pale white opal with faint pinpoint colour sits near the bottom, and doublets and triplets, which are thin slices of opal glued to a backing, cost a fraction of solid stones. The word "Australian" on its own tells you very little about value.

This guide explains how each factor moves the price, how opal is quoted per carat and per ratti in Pakistan, and how to compare offers honestly. We do not type figures here; the table below is built from our own opal listings and refreshed monthly. To see stones photographed one by one, browse our opal collection.

Opal prices from our listings

The table shows the lowest, typical and highest price per stone in our opal listings, plus the equivalent per carat and per ratti.

Australian Opal · October 2026 edition · PKR, from GemStore listings. 1 ratti = 0.91 carat.

Weight	Weights	Stones	Per carat	Per ratti
Under 3 carat	1.8 – 2.9 ct	29	Rs 3,100 – Rs 9,600	Rs 2,800 – Rs 8,700
3 – 6 carat	3.2 – 4.8 ct	6	Rs 750 – Rs 6,000	Rs 700 – Rs 5,500

Our opal category includes stones from more than one source, so read the table as the range for natural opal in general. Each listing names the origin where it is known. The rest of this guide explains why Australian material behaves differently on price, and how to judge where a given stone should sit. For prices across every stone we sell, see the monthly gemstone price guide.

Why Australian opal has its own reputation

Australia has long been the best-known source of precious opal. Its opal forms in sedimentary rock and, in general, is more stable than some newer sources: it holds less water and is less prone to crazing (fine surface cracking) or to changing appearance when wet. That stability, and the long history of the dark black opal, is why "Australian opal" is asked for by name in Pakistani shops.

Ethiopian opal, the other common source in Pakistan, is often very bright and much more affordable for its size. Much of it is hydrophane, which means it can absorb water and temporarily turn clear or lose its colour play until it dries. It is a fine stone when looked after, but it is a different product. Our guide to Ethiopian opal prices covers that side.

The four types of Australian opal and how they rank

Black opal

Black opal has a dark body tone, from dark grey to black, which makes the play-of-colour stand out strongly. Lightning Ridge in New South Wales is the source most associated with it. Fine solid black opal is the most valuable type of opal.

Boulder opal

Boulder opal forms as thin veins in ironstone, and is cut with the brown ironstone left on the back as natural backing. Good boulder opal can be very bright. Because the opal layer is thin and the shapes are often freeform, it is priced differently from black opal, and a solid boulder opal should not be confused with a man-made doublet.

Crystal opal

Crystal opal is transparent to semi-transparent, so you see colour deep inside the stone. It can come from any of the fields and sits between black and white opal in value, depending on brightness.

White or light opal

White opal has a milky, light body. It is the most common type and the least costly in solid form. Coober Pedy in South Australia is well known for it. Bright white opal with a strong pattern is still a lovely stone at a far gentler price than black.

What moves the price within each type

Body tone

The trade grades body tone on a numbered scale from black to light. Darker body tone raises value because it makes the colours appear more intense. Look at the stone face-up against a white sheet: if the body looks grey to black, it is a darker tone; if it looks milky, it is light.

Brightness

Brightness matters more than anything else within a type. A bright stone shows colour clearly in ordinary room light. A dull stone only shows colour under a spotlight or direct sun. Always ask for a video in normal indoor light as well as in daylight.

Colour range

Red flashes are the rarest and push price up most, followed by orange, then green, then blue. A stone showing a full range of colours is valued above one showing only blue and green.

Pattern

Pattern describes how the colour is arranged. Broad flashes and rare patterns such as harlequin, a patchwork of angular blocks, are valued highly. Small pinpoint flashes (pinfire) are common and cost less. The pattern should show across the face, not only at one edge.

Solid, doublet or triplet

This is the largest single price factor after type. A doublet is a thin slice of opal glued to a dark backing. A triplet adds a clear quartz or glass dome on top. Both are legitimate products when sold as such, and they give an affordable black-opal look, but they should cost far less than solid opal of the same appearance. They also must not be soaked, since water can lift the glue. Look at the side: a straight join line or a backing of a different colour gives them away.

Faults, shape and size

Cracks, crazing, sand spots, and potch (common opal without colour play) on the face lower the price. A well-domed oval with an even outline is worth more than a lumpy freeform of the same weight. Size multiplies all of this: a large stone with good brightness and pattern is scarcer than a small one.

How opal is quoted in Pakistan

Opal for astrological rings is often quoted per ratti in Pakistan, while many importers quote per carat. Before comparing:

• Confirm which ratti. The standard gemstone ratti is 0.91 carat (about 0.182 g). The jeweller's sunari ratti is smaller, about 0.1215 g or 0.61 carat. A per-ratti rate on the smaller ratti buys less stone. Convert with our carat to ratti converter.
• Confirm the weight is the stone's alone. A doublet's weight includes its backing; a boulder opal's includes its ironstone. Neither is the same as the weight of a solid opal.
• Do not compare across types on weight alone. A white opal and a black opal of the same weight are different products. Compare type, brightness and pattern first.

How to compare two quotes

1. Ask for the type in writing: black, boulder, crystal, white, and solid or assembled.
2. Ask for the origin in writing, and accept that origin is hard to prove without a lab.
3. Get a short video in daylight and in ordinary room light, turning the stone slowly.
4. Look at the side view for a join line.
5. Compare body tone and brightness before anything else.
6. Then compare pattern, colour range and faults, and only then weight.

If one seller's "Australian black opal" is much cheaper than another's, the usual explanations are a doublet or triplet, a dyed or smoke-treated stone, or another source labelled as Australian. Our guide to real versus fake opal explains the checks, and the Australian opal buying guide covers choosing a first stone.

Budget tiers by filter

You can browse the shop by budget. These filters show all stones; narrow them to opal on the page that opens.

• Under 5,000 rupees: small opals, mostly light body tone, and a sensible place to start if you want to learn how opal looks in real light.
• 5,000 to 20,000 rupees: compare brightness closely here, since this is where a strong colour play starts to set stones apart.
• 20,000 to 50,000 rupees: larger stones and brighter patterns; check whether the stone is solid before paying.
• Over 50,000 rupees: the band for the scarcer combinations of size, brightness and darker body tone.

Two stones from our opal listings, both from Ethiopia, show how size and brightness compare: a 1.50 carat natural opal and a 1.90 carat natural opal. Set against an Australian stone of similar size, they help you see the difference between body types for yourself.

Does a certificate matter for opal?

For a costly opal, yes. A lab can confirm that the stone is natural, whether it is solid or assembled, and whether it has been dyed or treated. Origin opinions are possible for some opal but not always. A certificate is available on request, and independent lab testing can be arranged; see lab-certified opal.

Protecting the value once you buy

Opal is about 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale and contains water. Keep it away from heat, direct sun on a car dashboard and sudden temperature changes, and never put it in an ultrasonic cleaner. A bezel or protective setting suits a ring; a pendant is safer still. Our opal guide covers wearing and tradition, including its link with Venus in Vedic astrology, and opal is also an October birthstone.

Buying opal from GemStore

Every opal we list is photographed on its own, with origin and treatment stated where known. You pay by Cash on Delivery anywhere in Pakistan, can open the parcel and check the stone before paying the rider, and can return it within 7 days. Send us any quote you have on WhatsApp and we will help you compare like with like.

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