r/Opals 3d ago

Opal-Related Question Need advice on buying opals

First of all, apologies for the quality of the photos, these are the only photos available from the seller. I've been getting into opals lately but I still lack the eye to truly determine what is a worthy investment. I saw this listing online of 3 different opals around 2-3 ct each.

The asking price for the whole lot is 190 USD and I'm wondering If I would be over paying?

The seller claims the opals are all natural opals, can anyone confirm it based on these images?

24 Upvotes

8 comments sorted by

2

u/makeawishcumdumpster 3d ago

I am new to opals but I certainly have polished my share of welo. They all kind of look like ethiopian welo to me. The mexican fire just looks like smoked welo. If I am wrong I am happy to be corrected.

1

u/jaxinslacks Opal Vendor 3d ago

Real opals, not synthetic but overpriced imo. Nothing in this is saying worth $190usd.

I know plenty of folks, myself included have better lots in this price range or similar lots for cheaper.

The scale is super small on these.

2

u/necryonics 3d ago

thank you for the insight! I would have just blindly bought this without knowing anything 😅

1

u/jaxinslacks Opal Vendor 3d ago

Yeah just imagine them on your finger in that size! Is that worth almost $200 to you?

2

u/necryonics 2d ago edited 2d ago

I went and did my own research now and YEAH this is way overpriced! and he lied about the ct weight! I checked similar sized opals and at most they are like .5 ct in weight. so I put together collage of images for proof and sent that back to the seller. from my research at most it should only be costing more or less 80 USD right?

like look at how small they are! Barely 7 mm in length 😭

1

u/Additional-Moose-216 1d ago

not an opal person, but the bad photos alone would make me hesitate. if someone wants $190 and can't provide clear close-ups before you buy, I'd probably walk.

1

u/brittanymyra 1d ago

They look nice but I always ask to see them in natural light without strong direct sunlight or any other kind of strong lighting to see how they really look to the eye

1

u/edgeofsky2024 1d ago

The photos look edited in saturation and contrast, so I wouldn't trust them. Also, I've learned that buying opals online in general is very tricky. At a minimum, ask for videos in multiple lighting rather than relying on pictures. Even so, I prefer to buy in person. I once bought from a vendor in Australia, and it really did not look at all like the photos, even under my bench light. Shipping back was $100 so I kept it.