A Lightning Ridge black and jelly opal, is a natural stone from Lightning Ridge, a mining region in New South Wales Australia. Lightning Ridge is famous for its black opals, which are prized for their dark body tone and the play of color displayed through the stone. When the body tone of precious opal is light to medium and the color play is fine, it is known as jelly opal.

On a black and jelly opal, you might see green, blue, red, and sometimes yellow and orange depending on the light and angle. The colors show up thanks to the specific configuration of silica spheres in the stone, which allows light to diffract. The deep background nourishes the colors as much as it contrasts them.

The jelly refers to the way in which the light appears to go through the stone more than in solid black opal. It may be semi-clear or glassy, as opposed to completely opaque. This transparency does not imply that the gemstone is low quality or weak. There’s that natural variation that some people seek out in particular.

There is a lot of work in cutting and polishing this type of opal. The stone may chip if abused. It is suitable for rings, pendant or earrings when the project is completed. A few are preserved unmounted by collectors who want to study the stone without a setting.