Ethiopian opal stones are a wonderful type of opal that has a very bright and exciting body colour play. Ethiopian opals can potentially have a greater variety of colours than other opals with rich blues, greens, and yellows. The different colours of opals are perfect to achieve an interesting and grabbing attention. 

Ethiopian opals are only available in Ethiopia. The discovery process started in the 2000s after some local miners discovered a different type of opal in the Welo zone of Ethiopia. Read more about this at; The Evolution of Opal Mining: From Australia to Ethiopia

The Ethiopian gemstone pattern generally appears less organized than the Australian ones situated more in the abstract space. This together with the fact that they have a higher intensity of color as compared to other animals makes them interesting.

Ethiopian Opals vs. Precious Opal

Mainly the stones found in Ethiopia tend to be” more warm” as they come in shades of reds to oranges, pinks, and purples. Precious opals are usually known to show more blues greens and yellows all in one gemstone. 

These opals are much more well organized in geometrical pattern, Ethiopian opal stones are a little random in plank. Also, the play of light on Ethiopian opal is more intense because the majority of them contain a higher degree of color.

Ethiopian vs. Common & Black Opal

• These opals are often referred to as white or So-called white opal and have no play of color found in precious and Ethiopian gemstones. Different from other countries’ opals, the opals originated from Ethiopia display a wide range of vibrancy in color. Common opals are quite basic and are much cheaper than other opals like matrix.
• Some of the most precious types of opals include the black opals with black background which improves the show of color. Ethiopian opals can be progressively dark and have a play of color but they are way more diverse and bright than black opals. They have quite a perfect pattern with them and also their looks are very elegant, unlike the bright colored opals.

Ethiopian Opals vs. Fire Opal

• This is one of the most bright and fun opals, fire opals are known for their red and orange color. The Ethiopian opals can also be observed in red but they are not limited to this color, they have other colors as well.  Ethiopian opal fires display a much richer play of color than that of fire opals.
• All in all, it can be stated that Ethiopian opal stones are second to none and are something rather fascinating to look at. It has a much higher intensity of color and the colors are brighter and more chaotic compared to other types of opals such as precious opal, common opal, black opal, and fire opal.

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Ethiopian vs. Water & honey opals

• In regards to color, the opals of Ethiopia range from red to oranges, pinks, purples, and so on. Whereas the water opals give off a watery look with a white or bluish cast to them. Ethiopian gemstones are characterized by a more irregular and less geometric pattern than water opals, which may be regular or even feature and color play throughout.
• Ethiopian opal stones are even darker than water opals, while the play of light in the former is more contrasting.
• Honey opals have a color like honey. Their colors vary from yellow and brown. Ethiopian opal stone is not only yellow or orange but has a much more extensive range of colors than Australian opal. 
• Ethiopian gemstones show a wide arrangement of pattern types such as Chaos, Abstract, and Structured type. Sometimes honey opals have a uniform distribution of color compared to other green opals.

Ethiopian Opals vs. Crystal Opals

Crystal opals are beautiful and have a non–opaque with a faint or extremely pale yellow background color. In the case of Ethiopian Opal, the stone may either be transparent or translucent based on the composition of the gemstone. Crystal opals usually do not exhibit as rich a flash of color as is characteristic of Ethiopian opals. Ethiopian gemstones can be purchased and arranged to display a variety of colors on them.

Ethiopian Opals vs. Matrix Opals

• Just like their name, they are fascinating. Depending on the formation type, matrix opals are in a matrix of other minerals such as ironstone or limestone. Ethiopian specimens of opals are most of the time not commonly identified in matrices. 
• The color of a matrix opal can be either affected or influenced to a given extent by the surrounding matrix. Ethiopian opal stone, however, has a much stronger ‘voice’ of its own in the color play.
• In particular, if you prefer colorful and unique jewelry, then the Ethiopian opal can be considered one of the best options. Read more about the beauty of opal at; Exploring the vibrant play of color in opal gemstones.

Conclusion

Therefore, we can conclude that Ethiopian opals give a better experience than other opals. Due to their color, pattern, or structure, they are different and of high-intensity color as compared to other opals.

Water, honey, crystal and matrix opals are different in many ways, but the most significant of them is the Ethiopian opal – a gem of a different kind.