Lavender Opal Identification Guide
Recognize lavender opal, a pastel purple common opal, and distinguish it from chalcedony, opalite glass, and dyed howlite.
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What Lavender Opal Looks Like
Lavender opal is a variety of common opal (potch) with a soft purple to lilac body color. It is usually translucent to opaque, with a smooth, slightly waxy to resinous luster. Most lavender opal shows a gentle, even pastel color, sometimes with faint cloudy zoning, and it generally lacks the rainbow play-of-color seen in precious opal. Some Mexican (Morado) material is the lilac to purple form. It has no crystal faces because opal is amorphous hydrated silica (SiO2 nH2O).
Step-by-Step Field ID Checklist
- Note the body color and glow. Look for a soft, milky lavender that is fairly uniform, often slightly glowing where light enters.
- Check luster. Opal is waxy to glassy, not the high vitreous shine of polished glass nor the dull chalk of howlite.
- Examine for play-of-color. Lavender common opal usually has none; if vivid flashes appear, you may have precious opal.
- Look at translucency. Thin edges transmit light with a hazy glow.
- Check for conchoidal fracture on broken surfaces.
Key Diagnostic Tests
- Hardness: Mohs ~5.5 to 6.5, softer than quartz; a steel file will scratch it.
- Streak: White.
- Fracture: Conchoidal to uneven; no cleavage.
- Density: Low, ~1.9 to 2.2 g/cm3, noticeably light in the hand, a useful clue versus denser chalcedony.
- Acid: No reaction to HCl.
Common Look-Alikes and How to Tell Them Apart
- Opalite (man-made opaline glass): Opalite is manufactured glass that shows a blue-white sheen against light and an orange glow in transmitted light; it is true glass with conchoidal fracture but is more uniform and often has bubbles. Lavender opal has a softer waxy luster and lower density.
- Purple chalcedony / chrome chalcedony: Chalcedony is microcrystalline quartz, harder (Mohs 7) and denser (~2.6) than opal, with a slightly tougher feel.
- Dyed howlite: Howlite dyed purple is chalky, softer (Mohs 3.5), and often shows characteristic gray veining; a streak test and easy knife scratch expose it.
- Lepidolite/charoite: Both are purple but show micaceous flakes (lepidolite) or fibrous swirling patterns (charoite) and crystalline structure, unlike amorphous opal.
Where Lavender Opal Is Typically Found
Common opal in purple hues comes from volcanic and sedimentary silica deposits. Notable sources include Mexico (the purple Morado opal), Peru (pastel Andean opals), parts of the western United States, and East Africa. It forms when silica-rich groundwater fills cavities and seams in volcanic rock or weathered host rock.
Frequently asked questions
How can you tell if lavender opal is real?
Real lavender opal is hydrated silica: it is lightweight (density under about 2.2), waxy to glassy in luster, hardness around 5.5 to 6.5, and translucent with a soft glow. Manufactured opalite is denser glass with a blue sheen, while dyed howlite is chalky and very soft.
What is the difference between lavender opal and opalite?
Lavender opal is natural hydrated silica with low density and a waxy luster, while opalite is man-made opaline glass that displays a blue-white surface sheen and an orange transmitted glow, often with bubbles and very uniform color.
Does lavender opal show fire or play-of-color?
Most lavender opal is common opal and shows no play-of-color, just a uniform pastel body color. Vivid rainbow flashes would indicate precious opal, which is rare in this hue.
Is lavender opal the same as Morado opal?
Morado opal from Mexico is a purple to lilac common opal, so much lavender opal on the market is Morado material, though similar purple opals also come from Peru and elsewhere.