Opal Identification & Value [Hardcover]

Paul B. Downing (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 22, 2002

The world standard is back by popular demand! This completely revised, updated and expanded version of Dr. Downing's 1992 Opal Identification and Value is a "must have" for all appraisers, opal buyers and opal lovers. Learn to properly identify opals from all over the world. Many new locations have been added along with new methodology to determine the characteristics that affect value, then determine price from updated value tables. Ascertain if the opal is a natural solid, boulder, doublet, triplet, dyed or lab-created. Be able to ask definitive questions when considering an opal. Learn what to look for in properly set jewelry. Become a confident buyer, seller or appraiser by distinguishing an ordinary opal from an outstanding one.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Downing is eminently qualified to not only write about this colorful gem, but to create this definitive text on opal. -- Bob Jones, Rock & Gem Magazine, December, 2002

This revision is extraordinarily illuminating and will surely be the definitive work on opal identification, evaluation and valuation for years. -- James V. Jolliff, Executive Director, The National Association of Jewelry Appraisers

About the Author

A self-proclaimed opalholic, Paul B. Downing has an international reputation as an opal expert, having traveled extensively in Australia and throughout the United States cultivating his knowledge. He has given numerous presentations for AGTA, GIA, the NAJA and lapidary and professional societies in Europe and the United States. His accomplishments include: inducted into the National Rockhound and Lapidary Hall of Fame, 1999, and winner of three AGTA Cutting Edge Awards for opal. In addition to the original Opal Identification and Value (1992) he has written three other highly acclaimed books, "Opal Cutting Made Easy," "Opal Advanced Cutting & Setting," and "Opal Adventures."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 214 pages
• Publisher: Majestic Pr; 2 edition (November 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962531189
• ISBN-13: 978-0962531187
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #306,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best on How to Price an Opal, January 13, 2005

By 

Todd Chenoweth (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Opal Identification & Value (Hardcover)

Even if you never intend to buy an opal, this book has much to offer a opal enthusiast, or those wanting an in depth knowledge of this gem. Other books will talk about differences in opal colors. Paul Downing will teach you to appreciate an opal's hue, tone, clarity, saturation and intensity. Lots of color pictures, as good as any other opal book, gives you the full range of the varieties of opals.

If you want a book to help you tell if an opal, especially a black opal, is offered for sale at a good price, then this is the book for you. There really is no competition. Because the author is an opal lover, student of the opal, and a trained economist, he is uniquely qualified to develop and present a systematic way to appraise opals. Amateurs need not be worried, you can easily do a quick estimate based on the book's method. Although the prices given in the book were developed in 2002, I find that they are still a good guide.

Yes, the book is a little on the pricey side. If you are going to spend more than about $200 on an opal, I think that the book is worth it. I have bought a number of other opal books. I should have saved my money. This one is all you need.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Opal Identification & Value (Rocks, Minerals and Gemstones), November 5, 2009

By 

Daniel M. Honda (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Opal Identification & Value (Hardcover)

While visiting Australia, I fell in love with precious opal and purchased a few pieces of jewelry and some loose gemstones for my collection. Although I was able to find basic information on evaluating and grading precious opal on the World Wide Web, I was frustrated by the lack of comprehensive content on this subject, that is, until I found this opus written by Dr Paul Downing.

This book is perhaps the only comprehensive printed resource on evaluating and valuing precious opal gemstones. In addition, the book contains a large number of beautiful, full-color photos of all types of opals including loose gemstones, gemstones set in jewelry, examples of the various types of opals and opal carvings.

About 90 percent of all opal is mined from Australia and accordingly the majority of this marvelous book focuses on Australian precious opal.

Below is a chapter-by-chapter summary of the text.

CHAPTERS 1 - 4 provide a general background of opals; its history, where they are sourced, the different cuts, early myths, the types of opals and how to distinguish between natural vs synethetic, simulated or dyed opals.

CHAPTERS 5 - 10 go into detail on how to evaluate six attributes used to determine precious opal value.

CHAPTERS 11 & 17 provide invaluable details on opal jewelry and how to evaluate opal jewelry, e.g., the different types (custom designs vs. mass produced) and determining whether it is properly designed to protect the opal.

CHAPTERS 12 - 14 discuss the methodology on pricing various opal types and offers a step-by-step process for filling out the evaluation forms (invaluable information for an amateur collector such as myself).

CHAPTERS 15 & 16 discuss opals mined from locations other than Australia and their particular characteristics.

CHAPTER 18 goes over other types of collectible opal--fossils formed from opal, opal carvings (which are different from opal gemstones)-- and "collectible opal" or in other words, uniques pieces of opal that are sought after by collectors.

CHAPTER 19 discusses how to buy precious opal.

Sorry for the length of the review. I tried breaking the text into bite-sized segments for easy consumption.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Effective guide to opal evaluation, February 16, 2006

By 

P. C. Brock (Flushing, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Opal Identification & Value (Hardcover)

Downing's Opal Identification & Value provides a descriptive overview of opals, though it is short on technical data or gemmological information. The book emphasizes criteria for determining opal values, and here it performs a great service, because it lays out sensible-sounding and user-friendly guidelines. This book gives the reader an independent way to access the value of the opals offered in the marketplace, and helps her to make wise choices.