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

Item Description

This is one of the few polished gemstones of this material that we know of. This gem was cut / cabbed by Brett Kosnar of Kosnar Gem Co. in June 2016, and was actually the first one that he finished when we purchased the rough. This piece came from rough that was recently discovered 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. This "Triangle Cabochon" Hyalite Opal gem is translucent with a golden to orange colored interior, but the most important aspect of the piece is the fact that it shows tiny red "capillary"-like inclusions of iron oxide just below the surface, which as given this material the nickname "Blood Vessel Opal". If you look closely you can see the tiny fibrous inclusions that have an almost organic appearance. Unique and interesting! We've never seen anything like it, and we're proud to be the first ones to bring it to the public. One of the great aspects of the material is that unlike a lot of Mexican Opal, and Opal in general for that matter, this particular Opal is incredibly durable and strong, and doesn't fall apart, crumble or chip apart when cut and / or polished. This is significant because these gems will make great centerpieces for jewelry! Lastly, like most Hyalite specimens, this piece shows a brilliant green fluorescence under SW UV light as you can see in the second photo. 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 on this beautiful and rare gem 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".