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Mineral Specimens with Opal
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3.0 x 1.8 x 1.4 cm. A cute, nicely shaped toenail of colorless, globular, jelly-like hyalite opal from an UNCOMMON Australian locality - Squaretop Mountain, Dalby (Kiamkillenbun ?), Queensland. A spot of brown matrix on the back adds character. Moderate lime-green fluorescence. Ex. Sam Nasser Collection.
4.7 x 4.4 x 3.0 cm. An old-time, showy specimen of a globular, jelly-like mass of colorless hyalite opal crowning matrix from a classic Czech locality - Waltsch (Valec) in Bohemia. This form of opal occurs in volcanic environments where the silica deposits at elevated temperatures. Comes with an old John Albanese label dating from 1953-1968. Ex. George Elling Collection.
2.8 x 2.0 x 1.0 cm. A CLASSIC, symmetical and beautiful opalized mollusc from the famous Coober Pedy Opal Field of South Australia. This lightly buffed beauty has excellent lavender color, but the streak of candy apple-green and red-orange fire really sets this distinctive fossil off.
6.6 x 4.4 x 2.7 cm. A multicolored piece of opal having replaced petrified wood, from one of the most classic US opal localities. These fossils which retain part of the limb shape are particularly desirable. Polished on front and sides, natural on back. This is from a section of tree wood and it is clearer in person, that it is the case. Opalization is nearly complete, with little original fossil material left. Ex. Charlie Key Collection.
2.7 x 2.4 x 1.6 cm. A CLASSIC, symmetrical and beautiful opalized mollusc from the famous Coober Pedy Opal Field of South Australia. This lightly buffed beauty has real color to it, with brilliant flashes of candy apple-green, -blue and -orange, which really sets this distinctive fossil off.
4.0 x 3.9 x 2.6 cm. A half-centimeter-thick vein of transparent, orange fire opal from a dam site near Tijuana. Fire opal is often fashioned into jewelry. It is rare and highly sought-after by collectors and lapidaries. Ex. Irv Brown Collection.
This specimen is notable both for the doubly-terminated goshenite and also for the richness of the hyalite opal, which glows intensely in ultraviolet light and is quite rare from here. 4.0 x 3.8 x 3.6 cm
4.6 x 4.5 x 3.2 cm. Dazzling large piece of Opal from the famous Virgin Valley deposits. This Opal has gorgeous red, green, and blue flashes with gem Opal on both top and bottom. With its oval shape, it looks for all the world like a section of bone that has been opalized, but it is actually from a fossil tree limb, now replaced and cast forever into gem opal. Now this is a fantastic and rich Opal specimen, much of which is gem quality and has some cutting value, from a classic and old US locality. Ex. Charlie Key stock.
8.6 x 6.0 x 5.3 cm. A CLASSIC, OLD-TIME Japanese specimen from the 1800s! A large, rich and showy vug is filled with snow-white opal in a nicely contrasting volcanic clast matrix. The old label is glued to the bottom of a 10.6 x 9.1 cm wooden box! Really an antique artifact in itself. This old-timer is from an uncommon locality.
7.2 x 4.8 x 1.9 cm. A RARE example of Baja, Mexican GEM OPAL - in appearance, quite similar to Australian material, but of course much less common on the market. There are several nodules of opal embedded in the matrix, the largest just over 2 cm by 1.5 wide. Not exactly fiery, but there are a few red flashes, along with pretty green and blue iridescence as well.
4.5 x 3.6 x 1.8 cm. A SPECTACULAR and OLD-TIME Virgin Valley, Nevada opal. This lightly buffed beauty scintillates with green and lavender to blue fire within the water-clear opal, which is on a bit of matrix. The bit of interior crazing is certainly not a detraction, as you can see. Ex. Flack, Richard Hauck and John Ydren Collections. This super showy piece was collected circa 1930, according to the Hauck label.
6.7 x 5.9 x 3.9 cm. Precious opal in seams still embedded in matrix rock like this are called "boulder" opals. Here, you have shimmering, fiery greens and blues contrasting with the surrounding iron-rich orange rock - truly pretty!
10 x 8 x 6 cm. The "normal" Smoky is an impressive 3.8 cm, translucent, sitting beautifully on a large Feldspar crystal. What makes this truly unique are the rest of the Smokies. They are in two sets of 2 cm crystals, one set 6 cm long, the other 2 cm. The crystals are incredibly intergrown, resembling a spine. I am not sure if these are a series of Japan Law twins, intergrown Gwindels, or what. On top of that, literally, you have Hyalite Opal adding incredible accent to the piece. Ex. Charlie Key.
3.9 x 2.9 x 2.4 cm. From the famous Romero Collection in the University of Arizona Mineral Museum - a specimen of precious opal in matrix. The opal stretches about 3 cm, and is about 0.5 cm in thickness. It has a fiery bright orange-red color to it.
5.1 x 3.9 x 2.4 cm. A fine example of beautiful Hyalite Opal. These two lustrous and gemmy masses, up to 1.5 cm across each, sit atop a matrix of Feldspar and Schorl. The light green color, glassy luster, and gemminess are superb. Intensely fluorescent. Ex. Charlie Key.
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Rob Lavinsky, rob@irocks.com
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share specimen![Opal (Var: Opal-AN) from Squaretop Mountain, Kaimkillenbun, Wambo Shire, Darling Downs-South West Region, Queensland, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-120690a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-120690a.jpg)
![Opal (Var: Opal-AN) from Squaretop Mountain, Kaimkillenbun, Wambo Shire, Darling Downs-South West Region, Queensland, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-120690b.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-120690b.jpg)
![Opal (Var: Opal-AN) from Valeč (Waltsch), Doupov (Duppau), Karlovy Vary Region, Bohemia (Böhmen; Boehmen), Czech Republic [db_pics/mdpics/MD-122773a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-122773a.jpg)
![Opal from Coober Pedy, Coober Pedy - Everard Range Regions, South Australia, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-122973a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-122973a.jpg)
![Opal from Coober Pedy, Coober Pedy - Everard Range Regions, South Australia, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-122973b.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-122973b.jpg)
![Opal from Virgin Valley District, Humboldt Co., Nevada, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-131905a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-131905a.jpg)
![Opal from Coober Pedy, Coober Pedy - Everard Range Regions, South Australia, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-135217a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-135217a.jpg)
![Opal (Var: Fire Opal) from Rodriguez Dam, Tijuana, Mun. de Tijuana, Baja California Norte, Mexico [db_pics/mdpics/MD-139147a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-139147a.jpg)
![Opal, Beryl (Var: Goshenite) from Erongo Mountain, Usakos and Omaruru Districts, Erongo Region, Namibia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-139984a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-139984a.jpg)
![Opal from Virgin Valley District, Humboldt Co., Nevada, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-143037a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-143037a.jpg)
![Opal (Var: Opal-AN) from Hosaka, Fukushima Prefecture, Tohoku Region, Honshu Island, Japan [db_pics/mdpics/MD-144876a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-144876a.jpg)
![Opal from Rodriguez Dam, Tijuana, Mun. de Tijuana, Baja California Norte, Mexico [db_pics/mdpics/MD-146058a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-146058a.jpg)
![Fire Opal (Var: Precious Fire Opal) from Virgin Valley District, Humboldt Co., Nevada, USA [db_pics/mdpics/MD-146997a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-146997a.jpg)
![Opal from Lightning Ridge, Finch Co., New South Wales, Australia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-156162a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-156162a.jpg)
![Quartz (Var: Smoky Quartz), Feldspar Group, Opal (Var: Opal-AN) from Erongo Mountain, Usakos and Omaruru Districts, Erongo Region, Namibia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-168090a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-168090a.jpg)
![Quartz (Var: Smoky Quartz), Feldspar Group, Opal (Var: Opal-AN) from Erongo Mountain, Usakos and Omaruru Districts, Erongo Region, Namibia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-168090b.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-168090b.jpg)
![Opal from Jalisco, Mexico [db_pics/mdpics/MD-168642a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-168642a.jpg)
![Opal (Var: Opal-AN), Orthoclase, Schorl from Erongo Mountain, Usakos and Omaruru Districts, Erongo Region, Namibia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-180893a.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-180893a.jpg)
![Opal (Var: Opal-AN), Orthoclase, Schorl from Erongo Mountain, Usakos and Omaruru Districts, Erongo Region, Namibia [db_pics/mdpics/MD-180893b.jpg]](db_pics/mdpics/MD-180893b.jpg)