Lightning Ridge Crystal Opal
Whilst Lightning Ridge is a predominantly black opal discovery area, crystal opal is also often found in the regions mining efforts. Typically, you can tell the difference between Coober Pedy Crystal and Lightning Ridge Crystal if you work with both kinds of opal long enough; there are distinct patterns and colors evident in each locations type of crystal. There are two types of Crystal Opals from Lightning Ridge; Standard Crystal Opals with a body tone of N8 and N9, and Black Crystal Opals with a black body tone base (transparent black opals). There are some spectacular patterns that can be found in Lightning Ridge Crystal Opals including Chaff Patterns, Digital Patterns and Flashy Directional Patterns. Actually; any pattern that can be found in a Black Opal can be found in a Crystal or Black Crystal opal from Lightning Ridge, however the ones mentioned are much more common.