3c BIG NEW TOP GEM WELO ETHIOPIAN "BUTTERCREAM" TAN OPAL

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About this Auction		About this Seller: ExoticOpal
	$588.00	this item can be purchased immediately for USD 588.00
Minimum Bid (USD)		Feedback Rating	99.81% Positive
Current Bid (USD)	no bids yet	Member Since	16 Feb 2007 in United States of America
Bid Increment (USD)	$10.00	View feedback Send seller message View 97 other auctions from this seller More about this seller
Bids Placed	0
Starting Bid (USD)	$588.00
Reserve Price (USD)	none
Starts	February 7, 2012 9:40 AM (PST)	Basic Shipping Information
Ends	February 10, 2012 9:35 AM (PST)	Shipping Cost	0.00 paid by seller
Auction Category	Ethiopian Opals	Optional Shipping Insurance within United States of America (USD)	0.00
Auction ID	174487	Optional Shipping Insurance rest of world (USD)	0.00
Ends in 17 hours 16 minutes
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Description

ExoticOpal is proud to offer a selection of the many types of opal from all corners of the world. We provide collector and cutter materials as well as commercial stones great for design and setting or jewelry manufacturing uses. We also have a complete commitment to our friends' and customers' satisfaction and will issue a prompt and cheerful refund on any items you are displeased with. We want to earn your business and keep you coming back for more. Have a look at all our listings by clicking the link in the item information area of the item you are looking at. Please ask if you have any questions about any sort of rare or unusual opal and we will be happy to help. We are opal enthusiasts and lifelong collectors that specialize in unusual and rare opal that many other cutters or collectors dismiss as too difficult to cut. To date, our private collection is comprised of opal from more than 200 localities worldwide. You will see from our listings both current and previous that we have an extensive knowledge and understanding of how to cut many different types of unusual or rare opal. Our feedback shows the level of satisfaction and support our customers have come to expect. We are not dealers looking for resale profits and we are happy to share our knowledge and experience with our customers and friends.

Thanks~ExoticOpal

Remember~

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About this item specifically~ ExoticOpal does not oil, wax or otherwise treat any of our natural Ethiopian opal. Any treatment with oil, wax or other petroleum-based materials may destroy or alter the value of natural opal and should be avoided by any collector or cutter. This piece of opal is completely natural and not treated or manipulated in any way. Gondar (also being called Wello) opal seems to be much more stable than the Ethiopian opal from Mezezo, Shewa, but it is much more absorbent so oiling this material would be bad also. This is a similar situation to the common oiling treatment given to emeralds to hide cracks until the oil dries out and the cracks become evident. We cut our own cabs in most cases and use no oils or treatments. All of our cabs are perfect and free of cracks or chips unless disclosed in the decriptions~ Thanks, ExoticOpal

Recently, a new find of incredible precious opal has come to light near the northern Ethiopian city of Gondar in the Afar. This type of opal is also sometimes being called Welo (Gondar,Welo,Wello,Wollo and Delanta desert and many other monikers are to be found) opal. The material is highly stable in comparison to other material from Ethiopia and comes in an endless palette of superb and gorgeous, often 5/5 brightness fire on very unusual base colors that range from crystal clear to nearly black. The opal is probably most similar to the kalimaya material found in Indonesia but without true comparison as far as quality and beauty are concerned. It does not form in nodules like the much more common and well-known material from the Mezezo, Shewa locality and has no rocky outer matrix so it is totally different to the previously known deposit in central Ethiopia. This opal is challenging to cut well but it can be done with patience, practice and some special methods. We are happy to share our experience with our customers.

This particular piece has a beautiful buttery creamy yellow semicrystal opaque base color and the colorplay in this cab is nice full palette pastel colors from skin to skin. This material is absolutely gorgeous and although we have quite an exceptional personal opal collection, this particular material is some of the most stunning new rough in memory...truly breathtaking. We have a very large "stash" of this material and will be selling a few pieces now and then. This piece has been beautifully cut and polished into a very nice highdome oval cab and when mounted, it will easily be a world-class top gem stone worth a small fortune. It shows an endless variety of color, even in low light and is true precious reflective colorplay. It is completely dry and free of any inclusions, cracks or other flaws and will stay perfect over time with normal care. This is a very interesting piece because a very small part of the production at the more well-known Ethiopian locality of Mezezo, Shewa is very similar in appearance to this piece at first glance. This is one example of the endless palette of material from this new locality and is the only stone of the exact sort from the Afar region that we have cut thus far. It weighs about 3.04 carats and measures about 11.3mm x 9.5mmx 6.8mm approx. This type of material is slightly hydrophanic so it looks about 1.5x the size of most opal that weighs the same~we are happy to offer this piece at under $300 per carat~ just $888 ~ NEW LOWER PRICE~ under $200 per carat~just $588~

Thanks~ExoticOpal

ExoticOpal has a 100% refund policy on all items, just ask. Payments via Paypal ONLY. Payments MUST be made within 24 hours of auction end unless we have been notified otherwise BEFORE bidding. We reserve the right to re-list any items not paid within 24 hours. Worldwide shipping is free on everything, including returns. Our photos and videos are not to be used elsewhere. Any other questions? Just ask...We are happy to discuss.

Exceptional products, Extraordinary service & Expert advice~ ExoticOpal

G'day

More Information

Weight: 3.04 Carats

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