The name “black opal” is used for opal that has a dark body color, often black or dark gray. The term is also used for opal that has a dark blue or a dark green body color.

This dark background color makes the “fire” of black opal much more obvious. The contrast of iridescent fire on a dark body color is what most people like about black opal.

The gem in the photo is a nice solid black opal with a strong blue face-up play-of-color. It was mined near the tiny community of Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia.

The town of Lightning Ridge was founded in 1922 after the first black opals were discovered nearby. Even though it has a population of less than 3000 people, it is known as the “Black Opal Capital of the World.” The town is in a very remote area, and almost everyone who lives there earns a living mining black opal or working in closely related businesses.