Opal-AN (Hyalite Opal) ("Blood Vessel Opal")

Item Description

This specimen was recently discovered (the beginning of 2016) by a friend of ours who is working a claim with a few of the locals for this fine quality Opal. It's very exciting to see specimens of this quality coming out of the ground, as most of the Opal from this area is not nearly as attractive or fine quality as this piece. It features gemmy to translucent, reddish to soft golden to nearly colorless spherical groups or "balls" of Hyalite with very minor matrix. The most interesting aspect of the piece is the fact that it shows golden to orange colored iron oxide inclusions which resemble thin organic "capillaries" or "blood vessels", hence the nickname "Blood Vessel Opal". Like most Hyalite specimens, this piece shows a brilliant green fluorescence under SW UV light. It's not often that we see such richly colored Hyalite, and considering it's from a new and very limited discovery, it's a great opportunity to purchase something that nobody else has right now. I apologize for not having a more specific locality, but our friend doesn't want to divulge the information yet as he is trying to keep it under wraps until he feels that he was able to collect everything. Don't miss out onf this beautiful eye-catching display specimen of this well-known Opal variety. For years this material was referred to as "Hyalite" Opal, but is now listed as a variety of Opal called Opal-AN. This material is specifically an amorphous (often colorless) form of Opal that is found in spherical aggregates, that are often intergrown or stacked with a "bead"-like appearance. The listing on mindat.org states that "The "A" in the name stands for amorphous; the subscript "N" is to imply its structure is network-like similar to silica glass; however, it still contains about 3-8% water".