Milky opal, also known as white opal, lives up to its name with its milky white appearance and dreamy play of color. Unlike other opals, milky opal has an opaque or semi-transparent milky white appearance, making it unique. Even with a strong play of color, milky opal still exhibits a soft and ethereal beauty, giving a subtle yet distinctive feel.
The enchanting colors of milky opal are beloved by ladies, jewelers, and designers alike. Since Australian opal mines initially produced more milky opal than crystal opal, the price of milky opal is relatively affordable. Milky opal was then much more prevalent in the market compared to other types of opals. As a result, the general public's initial impression of opal was more limited to the white color. Meanwhile, the most common cut shapes for opal are oval and cabochon, linking it to the shape of an egg and the color of egg white. Despite being a gemstone with a variety of colors, it is still referred to as "蛋白石" in Chinese, which literally means "egg-white stone".
Of course, though I can't be 100% sure if the Chinese name of opal entirely originates from this. What do you think of my reasoning then?
Milky opal has a milky white appearance, and its play of color, even if green, will appear bright green, and red will turn into light pink, creating a harmonious and dreamy effect. The play of color in milky opal can range from weak to strong. Nowadays, finding a large carat top-quality milky opal has become very challenging. More commonly, you will find milky opals with less play of color or even common opals with little to no play of color. Again, large pieces of top-quality milky opals are now very hard to be found.
Interested in learning more about different types of opals and their characteristics? We invite you to read our article: Discover Opals: Types, Legends, and Care Tips to delve deeper into the fascinating world of these enchanting gemstones.
