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18/05/2009 08:30 am
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ETHIOPIAN WELO DESERT OPAL~TRILLION CUT GEM ~2.5CT~$5NR

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DESCRIPTION: This is a top grade Welo opal...Green/multi-color solid opal with a bright flashfire pattern. A brightness level of 4.5/5 with bold crisp fire. This opal has several small scratches on the surface facets above and below the girdle which can easily be seen in the first picture. Without magnification they are not easily seen and should not effect the beauty when mounted. Nonetheless..they are there and due to this, they are up for bid at a bargain $5NR auction. .

WEIGHT: 2.5 ct

SIZE: 11x11x6mm (6mm=1/4 inch)

TYPE: Ethiopian Welo desert opal

SHAPE: Trillion cut

COLOR: Face-Up Green/Multi-color (not contra-luz)

BODY CLARITY: Transparent with a light white silk base tone.

COMMENT: Untreated


ETHIOPIAN WELO DESERT OPAL

This newly discovered Opal found in the Welo deserts of Ethiopia is a new find that is quickly gaining the attention of the opal community. This opal was the hit of the recent Tucson international gem show. Welo opal requires a very special cutting technique but the finished result is every bit as stable as the better known Australian opals. The color is brilliant and rivals any top grade opal in the world. Most have a brightness level of at least 4.5+ with neon color. Welo opal is not contra luz opal, the color play is face up and is as bright in artificial indoor light as it is outside in direct sunlight. This opal just loves any light source. This is hydrophane opal which when soaked in water allows the base color to clear up...sometimes highlighting the play-of-color, sometimes making it vanish. The best trait of the Welo hydrophane opal is that when it's dry and polished it can be one of the brightest opals in the world. From my experience, the Welo Desert opal is as stable as the best of all that I have cut in the last 8 years. I have read that rehydration can cause instability in some hydrophane opals...so far, none of my Welo opals have had any Issues. Different types of opals require specialty care for the beauty you enjoy... Welo opal is no different. No chemicals or detergents...If soaked in water, it can take several days to completely dry out and return to it original beautiful state. Do not try and excellerate the drying by any artificial means. Do not use ultrasonic cleaning for any opals. The Welo opal is found in the same type of geological formations as the Australian opal. It was discovered in December of 2008 in the sedimentary mines of the Welo desert region of Ethiopia. This is due west of the Gondar Desert(see map). Some call it Gondar desert opal but it is known by the miners and dealers as Welo Opal. Welo opal is perhaps the most stable opal find in Ethiopia to date. Ethiopian Opals are region specific in character traits just like Australian opals. I have seen the price of this opal rise dramatically over the last few months and it looks as though the price is going to go higher. The mines are currently owned by the Ethiopian government and they are in the middle of changing laws and will be selling these mines to large companies in the very near future.

NOTE: We are not resellers. we pick our rough out of multiple kilos and work with the miners direct. Each piece sold has been handpicked and cut by our craftsmen. What you are bidding on is TopShelfOpal from Welo,Ethiopia. 100%


PHOTOGRAPHY

All photographs show the best highlights of each particular opal. Photos are taken using a Nikon D90(no filter enhancing lens), either outdoors or indoors and are taken with the intent of depicting true color and detail. We use the highest grade photo equipment to show the opal as true as possible without having to use photo enhancement programs. All photographs of the Ethiopian hydrophane opals are taken dry as to give a true depiction of what the opal will look like when finished. Hydrophane opals can become dramatically enhanced when wet and can give a false impression as to what the finished product will actually look like. Non hydrophane opals will at times be shown wet if in the rough or rubbed state as to show the color of the opal with a pseudo-polish.


INFORMATION FOUND IN SPRING 2009 EDITION OF GEMOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF AMERICA (GIA)

REFERENCE INFO: http://www.gia.edu/research-resources/gems-gemology/spring2009-contents/spring2009-featuredgni-ethiopian-opal.html


Spring 2009
New Play-of-Color Opal from Welo, Ethiopia

A new source of high-quality play-of-color opal was discovered in early 2008 in Welo Province, Ethiopia, about 500 km north of Addis Ababa. This deposit is geographically distinct from the Mezezo deposit in Shewa Province, which was discovered in the early 1990s.

The contributors to the article examined a parcel of about five rough and 30 cut Welo opals supplied by Opalinda and Eyaopal, the main distributors of this material. They found that the cabochons showed good play-of-color (figure 1); the vast majority were white and transparent, but some had a bodycolor varying from light yellow to dark “chocolate” brown. Compared to Mezezo opals, those from the new deposit generally appear much whiter. They noted all spectral colors in the play-of-color in their samples. Most of the cabochons were similar in appearance to opals from Australia or Brazil. However, many samples displayed a columnar structure of play-of-color opal within common opal (figure 2), as first described in a like article about material from Mezezo. This feature is only very rarely observed in opals from sources outside Ethiopia.

The hydrostatic SG of the opals ranged from 1.80 to 2.10. This broad range is in part due to the high porosity of some samples, as revealed by a significant weight increase after immersion in water (up to 8%). Fluorescence varied from inert to moderate yellowish white to both long- and short-wave ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Samples that were inert displayed an unexpected greenish phosphorescence of moderate intensity. No luminescence was observed in the opals with a yellow-to-brown bodycolor, even the light ones; these darker bodycolors are probably due to the presence of iron, which quenches luminescence. The yellow-to-green luminescence is likely due to the presence of uranium. Welo opal is found in volcanic rock, possibly a rhyolite. The rough samples they examined consisted of opal (either common or play-of-color) cementing fragments of the host rock. By contrast, opal from Mezezo fills cavities in rhyolite, forming nodules. Despite these differences, the fact that columnar structures are seen in opals from both deposits (but very rarely from elsewhere) seems to indicate similarities in the conditions of their formation. To read all the information discussed in the article, please refer to the URL link at the top.



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topshelfopals
topshelfopals
Welcome to TopshelfOpals. As a professional cutter specializing in opals, I am an admitted unreformed opalaholic that loves to reveal as much whimsical wonder and beauty as a piece of rough opal can produce. It is my goal to allow these heavenly treasures to lead and guide me, to shape and polish these colorful rustic stones into pure eye candy, to allow them to come into fruition as objects of beauty to pleasure and inspire other opalholics like myself. You can rest assured that your opal has been cut and polished with love, excitement, anticipation and professional skill.
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    mina28
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    Good quality, fast service. Thanks for the bonus. I'm looking forward to the next stone I pick up from your shop.

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    btlnckr
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    Gems arrived today and they are beautiful! Thank you Doug you went above and beyond!

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    Gems arrived today and they are beautiful! Thank you Doug you went above and beyond!

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Bids History (15)
mina28
Purchased from this seller previously
14 years ago
$40.00
opalrock
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14 years ago
$39.00
opalrock
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14 years ago
$38.00
morefire
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14 years ago
$37.00
opalrock
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14 years ago
$35.00
morefire
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14 years ago
$34.00
opalrock
Purchased from this seller previously
14 years ago
$30.00
14 years ago
$29.00
14 years ago
$28.00
opalrock
Purchased from this seller previously
14 years ago
$27.00
opalrock
Purchased from this seller previously
14 years ago
$20.00
14 years ago
$19.00
opalrock
Purchased from this seller previously
14 years ago
$7.00
stonehedge
Purchased from this seller previously
14 years ago
$6.00
dhanistha60
Purchased from this seller previously
14 years ago
$5.00

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Overview

Listing Type : Standard
Product ID : 169745
Starting Bid : $5
Starts : 11th May 2009 01:30 am AEST
Ends : 19th May 2009 01:30 am AEST
* All prices are in USD