Opal-AN (Hyalite Opal) with Carbonate-rich Fluorapatite (var: "Staffelite") (ex Kay Robertson Collection)

Item Description

When it comes to Hyalite Opal - the proper name is Opal (var Opal-AN) - the specimens from Valec are the most famous in my mind. This material is essentially colorless, and resembles lustrous glass beads. The historic old mines are now closed as they lay in a military reservation, and these specimens will never be found again. This beautiful specimen features several groups of intergrown spherical "bead"-like nodules of Opal-AN which have a stunny internal gemminess and are smartly sitting on host rock matrix. Additionally, small spherical whitish "balls" of Carbonate-rich Fluorapatite (var: Staffelite) can be seen on the piece as well. If you're an Opal collector, this is a worthwhile representative piece of this classic material, with the famous "Stafellite" association. Valued at $750. Ex Kay Robertson Collection (#11071). Kay is a prominent California collector, who specialized in European classics (see the article in the March-April, 2007 Mineralogical Record and the 50+ page article in the German Magazine "Mineralien Welt" November-December 2017).