ethiOpal.de
Ethiopian opal – directly from origin – building local value and capacity
ethiOpal is your new, local source for the principal Ethiopian gemstone! We are based in Ethiopia and have two decades of experience in working with and trading of Ethiopian opal. We are close to the mining communities, use and build local expertise, create decent jobs, and promote the beauty and value of Ethiopian opal.
We supply stone enthusiasts, jewellers and gemstone traders world-wide from our trading hub in Germany. Our offer comprises stones (individual and lots), polished and calibrated in our lapidary, as well as lots of semi-cut stones and rough, including wholesale.
OPAL - Beauty embodied
Our work is to CELEBRATE and SHARE the outstanding BEAUTY of the Ethiopian opal gemstone. BEAUTY is what we see – it is not a physical or measurable quantity. BEAUTY comprises harmony, elegance, expression, uniqueness and character.
Opal is a GIFT OF NATURE. It was thrown into this world millions of years ago with fire and fury, and slowly formed under the pressure of mountains. But it needs LIGHT to be seen. That is the work of MINERS, who pull it out of darkness, as a raw rock that merely provides a glimpse of the BEAUTY it harbours. The LAPIDARIST sees ‘through the rough’ and skillfully subtracts matter to reveal and express the inherent BEAUTY of the stone. The JEWELLER then sets it, so it can adorn the body, amplifying the wearer’s beauty and character. The COLLECTOR places it in context, so that its BEAUTY can be amplified by those of others. Finally, we all SEE it and REVEL in it – each of us in our own way. At ethiOpal we are grateful to humbly make our contribution to nature’s BEAUTY by bringing all this together – from source to proud owner.
Our lapidary
Today, more than 90% of Ethiopian opals are still exported as uncut rough. ethiOpal is up to change that. We are gradually building our lapidary. Our vision is to create hundreds of jobs - mostly for women, with fair conditions and help to their children.
