Fire Opal (with "Contra Luz" color flash)

Wello (Wolo), Ethiopia
Gems, 0.39 ct, 7.43 mm x 4.35 mm
Start Time: 02/14/2019 7:00:00 pm (CST)
End Time: 02/21/2019 7:00:00 pm (CST)
Auction Closed

Item Description

Opal is one of those gems that is just as beautiful when it's opaque and when it's crystal clear. Recently there has been some very attractive and impressive Fire Opals coming out of Ethiopia. These gems rival some of the better Mexican stones for color, gemminess and the ever popular "Contra Luz" effect. This "Oval Cabochon" cut gem is nearly colorless in trasmitted light, but in reflected light, it shows the highly desirable and seldom seen COLOR FLASH or "Contra Luz" effect with a beautiful rainbow-like array of color ! Now the color flash is best seen in sunlight or with a strong flashlight against a black background, and this stone was photographed under a strong flashlight to show the color flash. When strongly lit, this "Round" cut stone shows flashes of green, purple, yellow, gold, orange and red. You can tell from the photos, that the stone shows amazingly different color arrangments based upon the angle at which it's viewed. These flashes of color are only seen in about 1% of the Fire Opals that I have seen from Ethiopia ! It's a very attractive stone, and would make a great piece of jewelry, or would stand on its own as a beautiful gem.

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