Ethiopian Fire Opal

You are likely to find exactly the ethiopian fire opal you’re looking for on 1stDibs, as there is a broad range for sale. Every item for sale was constructed with extraordinary care, often using gold, yellow gold and 18k gold. Find an antique version now, or shop for 1 vintage or 51 modern creation for a more contemporary example of these cherished accessories. Making the right choice when shopping for a ethiopian fire opal may mean carefully reviewing examples of this item dating from different eras — you can find an early iteration of this piece from the 20th Century and a newer version made as recently as the 21st Century, both of which have proven very popular over the years. Finding an appealing ethiopian fire opal — no matter the origin — is easy, but Nina Nguyen Designs, Sunita Nahata and Devta Doolan each produced a popular version that is worth a look. A ethiopian fire opal of any era or style can lend versatility to your look, but a version featuring opal, from our inventory of 43, is particularly popular. See these pages for a mixed cut iteration of this accessory, while there are also cabochon cut and oval cut cut versions available here, too. When shopping for a ethiopian fire opal, you’ll find that there are less available pieces for unisex or men today than there are for women.

On average, a ethiopian fire opal at 1stDibs sells for $1,950, while they’re typically $600 on the low end and $265,000 for the highest priced versions of this item.

Opals were discovered in 400 BC, and since then five types have been found throughout the world. Before you start shopping for mysteriously beautiful vintage opal rings and other opal jewelry, learn about the different varieties of the gem — and find out which historical figure was reportedly willing to trade his kingdom for a single stone.

Here is a little riddle for you: the month of October has two birthstones, but only one of them encompasses the colors of other birthstones. If you guessed opal, you’re right! (The other gemstone associated with the month of October is tourmaline.)

Opals are such unusual gemstones that there are too many old-wives tales associated with them, like if you’re a blond, wearing an opal necklace will protect your locks from losing color. Opals were also very fashionable in the early 19th century, up until the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s novel Anne of Geierstein in 1829. The title heroine wears an opal and succumbs to an untimely death. However, the British monarchy, and in particular Queen Victoria, did not let this story get in their way, and they frequently gifted opals to friends and family members. October babies should disregard the noise and proudly wear their opals!

There are five types of precious opals: boulder opal, fire opal, crystal/water opal, black opal, and white/light opal. Each variety is distinguished by its color.

So, where does the name come from? The word opal is thought to originate from the Roman opalus or from the Sanskrit úpala (“precious stone”) or from the Greek opallios (“to see a color change”). So while there have been many names for the stones, opals were first discovered in 400 BC in Ethiopia. But the early reference that comes up most often in history books is from the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder, who wrote about it in 75 AD. In his text he refers to it as opali. The Romans were big fans of opal, Mark Antony was so enamored by it that, as the story goes, he was willing to trade a portion of his kingdom for a single opal.

There's a wide variety of antique and vintage opal jewelry on 1stDibs (and you won't have to trade your kingdom for it).