Minerals from Ethiopia

Ethiopia has become increasingly relevant to mineral and gemstone collectors in recent years, particularly due to the discovery of high-quality opal deposits.

The Wollo and Shewa regions are best known for their opal. Wollo opals – known in the trade as welo Opals, in particular, often show vivid play-of-colour and are typically found in nodules or seams within volcanic rock. These are hydrophane opals, meaning they can absorb water and temporarily become more transparent. While often cut for the gem trade, uncut nodules and specimens with matrix are available.

Of course, opal is a mineraloid, rather than a mineral – but are we reallly going to split hairs?

There are also deposits of emerald in southern Ethiopia, in the Kenticha area. The crystals tend to be small but well-formed, and can be found both as gem rough and in matrix specimens. These are relatively new to the market and still not widely seen.

Quartz crystals are also found in several locations, sometimes with inclusions or associated minerals such as feldspar or tourmaline. Some smoky quartz and amethyst has been reported as well, though not in large quantities.

Most material from Ethiopia has only reached the international market in the last two decades, and locality data can vary in quality. A fair amount of the opal especially is traded through nearby cutting centres, which can further obscure origin details.

Historic specimens from the region may be labelled Abyssinia; it is also worth noting some specimens labelled Ethiopia or Abyssinia may now be in modern Eritrea.

Ethiopia