gems, opal, Ethiopia

A new opal deposit discovered in 2008 near the village of Wegel Tena in Ethiopia’s Wollo Province has yielded mostly white opal, along with some brown, fire, and colorless “crystal” opal, all hosted in volcanic rocks. While some specimens resemble sedimentary opals from Australia and Brazil due to their vivid play-of-color, their properties align with opal-CT and typical volcanic opals. Inclusions of pyrite, barium-manganese oxides, and native carbon are present, and some samples feature unusual “digit patterns,” where play-of-color and common opal interpenetrate like fingers. These opaque-to-translucent opals exhibit pronounced hydrophane behavior, becoming transparent when soaked in water. Notably, the white opals show elevated barium levels, previously unreported in opal-CT. Though the fire and crystal varieties are fragile, the white opals demonstrate exceptional durability. With an unusually high proportion of gem-quality material and over 1,500 kg already extracted using basic mining methods, this deposit—possibly extending several kilometers—has the potential to become a major source of fine opal.