1.35 Carat
Green, Yellow, Red in Orange
Pattern: Broad & Thin Flame
Translucent - Free of Inclusions
GRADING REPORT OPFO135
- Identification: Natural Unheated & Untreated Fire Opal
- Carat: 1.35
- Shape: One-sided Oval Cabochon
- Measures: 9.06x6.98x4.55 (millimeter)
- Body Color: Orange
- Play of Color: Very Good+
- Pattern: Broad yellow and thin green Flame
- Clarity: Transparent - Free of Inclusions
- Cutting Grade: Excellent
- Finish: Excellent
- Depth: 65%
- Origin: Ethiopia, Welo
Treatment: None
Certificate No: IGI 310837680
Overall Grade: Very Good+
Comment: Ethiopian opal with good play-of-fire or 'precious' and the strong orange body of a fire-opal. Theoretically we'd need to describe this 'fire-opal with play-of-fire', but that sounds terrible, so we'll break standards and make it a precious-fire-opal (looks like Ethiopia calls for a new opal nomenclature). Translucent orange body with thin green flames, some blue, too, but not enough to be called 'peacock', all-enclosing yellow-red flames, too few pinpoints to mention. BTW, the combination of types, whether pinpoint or flames or mosaic, is a question of personal taste, although mosaic is rarest and thus always most expensive. If you enjoy dark but funny crime stories, check-out the movie 'Uncut gems' which centers around a brick-sized Ethiopian opal, other topics aside. This 1.35 is sized more practical for use in jewelry, although the characters in the movie might well wear a brick around their tall necks. In our 1.35, note the flat backside shown in one handshot and also in the close-up below with an equally fine color-play, so-much-so that one might consider using the down-side as face-up in a special design. Afterall, jewelry-tradition ignored, the flat under-side offers the biggest face-up, but we'd miss the view of color-play in 3D. For such a different design there also are sliced pieces of opal, like this coin-shape piece we set in in 22k gold under a rotatable loop-connector so the owner could display either side. Such a slim body needs to be of extra quality, however, to do the same color-tricks as a thicker one would. In any case, showing play-of-color from every direction without so-called 'dead spots' is one the attributes of fine opal, such as this. Still affordable for as long as the Ethiopian mines last (a million-$-question). Classically, such a 9x7mm cabochon is set in a ring or pendant, the former worn with care since opal it not the hardest of all gems, although much harder than wood, bones or gold for that matter. Allow us to design a safe setting in an one-only item, the highest form of luxury in an era of unlimited copies.
