Hoser John 1,210 Posted April 30, 2015 Nothing in this life is perfect but that comes darn close. Righteous beauty for sure. John Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rimshot 178 Posted April 30, 2015 Nice one Steve. Kinda reminds me of doppler radar. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimale 19 Posted April 22, 2017 On 2/26/2014 at 5:36 PM, El Dorado said: Welo Opal from Ethiopia, tough and stones I cut. I love this material. One giant advantage to Welo is the rough comes in nodules which allows the cutter to make high dome cabs vs OZ opa that comes in thin seams for flatter cabs Lovely one, my cousin who works with telec company in a town bordering Ethiopia,Marsabit, found exactly gem resembling those, they found it as they dug a trench near a watering point(ban) half meter deep, he knew my interest in colour stones, and brought for identification, unfortunately i did not recognize it, coz it was raw, but, in the middle, interesting with rainbow colour, its later date , that I learnt to be an Ethiopian opal, by then it has gone. The place is rich with gems 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hoser John 1,210 Posted April 22, 2017 Amazing color variations, beautiful to say the least-John Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nugget Shooter 3,761 Posted July 18, 2017 Yowah nut, containing a fabulous opal. Bit hard to find these now. Australia 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adam 2,114 Posted July 18, 2017 Amazing Bill......truly mind blowing! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nugget Shooter 3,761 Posted August 2, 2017 Unusual pattern Opal FROM Virgin Valley District/Humboldt County, Nevada.credit: Joe Budd 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pondmn 201 Posted June 2 Beautiful opals. love them. Too bad that virgin valley has fractures or it would be worth a lot more, but still fabulous with all those colors. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakyowtf 0 Posted October 1 hey guys, I found this opal shell thing.... is it junk....? thank you... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morlock 756 Posted October 1 Need a better video. Too dark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adam 2,114 Posted October 2 (edited) 15 hours ago, jakyowtf said: hey guys, I found this opal shell thing.... No, you do not need a better quality video. You are confusing Opalescence and iridescence . What you have is a iridescent shell Edited October 2 by adam Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Au Seeker 2,138 Posted October 2 2 minutes ago, adam said: No, you do not need a better quality video. You are confusing Opalescent and iridescence . What you have is a iridescent shell I agree, many sea shells have this quality, real Mother of Pearl comes from sea shells as well as abalone, pearls are also made of the same substance. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hardtimehermit 149 Posted October 2 This my first fire opal find, from the Virgin Valley back in June. All i needed was another fever! Haha well this fire does get some people hooked they call them opalhoalics. IMG_3252.MOV Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bedrock Bob 1,416 Posted October 2 19 minutes ago, hardtimehermit said: This my first fire opal find, from the Virgin Valley back in June. All i needed was another fever! Haha well this fire does get some people hooked they call them opalhoalics. IMG_3252.MOV That is awesome! It is a beautiful piece of opal! I have found lots of nice common opal but never precious opal. Some red opal but never with fire. That is one of my unrealized goals. I know there are three spots in New Mexico where a tiny bit has been found but I have never found a piece of it yet. I see we have the same manicurist... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hardtimehermit 149 Posted October 2 Thanks Bob, as you know it takes some work to keep up this look. The opal blew my mind when i found it because it is the type of fire that is called Contra Luz. That is the when the fire only goes off when light hits it at the right angle. I found it in the morning and it just looked translucent, but that afternoon i pulled it out and when the sunlight hit from behind me that's when it caught fire! Happy opal hunting, if you come out this way we can point you in the right direction, basically the Virgin Valley, but it helps to know just where to go. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morlock 756 Posted October 2 7 hours ago, hardtimehermit said: This my first fire opal find, from the Virgin Valley back in June. All i needed was another fever! Haha well this fire does get some people hooked they call them opalhoalics. IMG_3252.MOV That's a really nice looking piece of opal. Congrats. I've always wanted to hunt at Virgin Valley but never did which I really regret. Spent quite a bit of time in north central Nevada so it's not like I had to travel far. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hardtimehermit 149 Posted October 2 Thanks Morlock, i think this one will go around my neck, my lucky fire stick for finding more relatives. If you can get back to the Virgin Valley someday, it is a great time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morlock 756 Posted October 2 Since you've been to Virgin Valley, I would imagine you had the chance to talk to others about the opal found there. I've heard different opinions about whether the majority of the opal can be cut into cabochons for jewelry. What's your opinion based on what you've seen and heard? Some say it's too crazed for cutting. Others say there's no problem. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hardtimehermit 149 Posted October 3 From the people i spoke with they say the same thing, that most of the opal is too unstable to use as jewelry. They say if you hunt the tailings that the opal has had time to cure slowly and can be used in jewelry. The material that comes right out of the banks is the stuff they usually put into water for good. The fire opal wood i found in the tailings so i will try to have necklace made. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
d_day 113 Posted October 3 34 minutes ago, hardtimehermit said: From the people i spoke with they say the same thing, that most of the opal is too unstable to use as jewelry. They say if you hunt the tailings that the opal has had time to cure slowly and can be used in jewelry. The material that comes right out of the banks is the stuff they usually put into water for good. The fire opal wood i found in the tailings so i will try to have necklace made. That's pretty much the same thing I've heard. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Morlock 756 Posted October 3 Well, that's a shame since I've seen some Virgin Valley opal on par with or better then opal from Australia. I mean the type with really bright, flashy colors. Just gorgeous. You'd think there would be a way to stabilize it much like turquoise is stabilized. I'm sure a lot of time and money has been spent on such efforts but with little success...imho. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hardtimehermit 149 Posted October 4 Here is a little chunk of black opal, found this in VV just a few weeks back, my second trip with wife and a friend. You could use some small pieces in jewelry like this one. They make little glass containers that can act as a necklace or ear rings. The down side is you need to keep them in water, but the fire is worth it. Otherwise this stuff can be so bright you might get burned, haha. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hardtimehermit 149 Posted October 4 9 hours ago, adam said: Very Nice !! Thanks Adam, i got the fever for the fire. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
