Harlequin Opal - It is most rare and expensive variety. It comes in irregular tile pattern with black body colour. It looks very similar to that of the widely created man made opal known as 'mosaic opal'.
Harlequin Opal: Refers to a rare patchwork-like pattern or fine play of colour in an opal. All spectral colours are seen.
Harlequin Opal - "True precious opal showing a regular mosaic-like pattern in rounded, angular, or roughly square patches of about equal size, presenting a spangled appearance--".
The White opal, Black Opal, Opal Matrix, Boulder Opal, Harlequin Opal, Jelly Opal, and Crystal Opal fall into this category.
The Fire Opal usually does not show any play-of-color.
The harlequin opal, as the name suggests, gives a rich play of prismatic colours flashing from minute fissures, even when cut en cabochon. It is translucent and spangled with many shades of red, blue and yellow specks.
"White opal" is the name applied to the lighter shades of opal which do not show the bluish-black effect in any position. "Harlequin opal" has rather large areas of definite colors giving somewhat the effect of a map of the United States in which the ...
The colour play shows in different patterns which establish various varieties, including principally the black opal, fire opal, white opal, and water opal, and also flame opal, flash opal, harlequin opal, pinpoint opal, and hyalite.
 See also: Stone, Fire, Opal, Precious, Water
  
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