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Ethiopian Black Opal, Cabochon, 7.36 ct (Specimen)
$350.00
This polished black opal is from the recently discovered deposit at Stayish mine near the town of Gashena. We source rough opals and cut and polish custom-made cabochons for jewelry companies and collectors.
This opal is a specimen due to small surface cracks. Black opals from the Stayish Mine are non-hyrophane (i.e. non water absorbing) and have a tendency to crack when cutting. This is different to the hydrophane (water absorbing) white opals from Wegel Tena and Mezezo that perform better when cutting.
External reference: GIA: New Deposit of Black Opal from Ethiopia, 2014.
| Lot ID | OP-ET-P-62 |
|---|---|
| Gem type | Black opal – non-hydrophane (does not absorb water) |
| State | Polished |
| Pieces | 1 |
| Weight | 7.36 ct |
| Shape(s) | Cabochon |
| Length / width / depth | 17.45 mm / 14.17 mm / 5.07 mm |
| Body tone | N1 (N1 – N4 are the black body tone types) |
| Brightness | 1 (1 = brightest, 7= dullest) |
| Treatment | No treatment, 100% natural |
| Origin | Wollo, Ethiopia |
| References | GIA: New Deposit of Black Opal from Ethiopia, 2014 |
DEPOSIT CHARACTERISTICS
1. Black opal is found at the contact zone / stratum between volcanic rock and an underlying clay-rich layer;
2. This opal-bearing layer is contained in a single stratum and extends for c. 10-50 km along the mountain belt;
3. The black opal yielded is non-hydrophane and does not absorb water;
4. Extracted material generally comes as nodules and chunks that are 2–5 cm long; and
5. The colour patterns include: harlequin, patchwork, honeycomb etc..
BLACK OPAL DEPOSIT LOCATION
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