Opal replacing Mussel Shell

Item Description

Some of the best examples of Opal in the world are those Australia. While Queensland has the best Black Opals in the world, the pieces from Coober Pedy are uniquely different, and sometimes have been found pseudomorphing ancient marine bivalve shells. These I believe are the most iconic Opal / fossil pseudomorphs in the world. This piece was mined in the mid 1960s and features a well-preserved bivalve mussel shell. The Opal is mostly white in color, although in strong lighting, I can see a few tiny flashes of color here and there. Additionally when the piece is backlit, you can see a bit of a golden interior. I love the fact that you can see the striations / growth lines of the shell, so it's clearly NOT polished and very well-preserved! The piece is mostly complete all around, though there is a point of contact on one end. These Opal-replaced fossil shells are RARE and formed 135 million years ago in the Bulldog Shale of Coober Pedy. Unfortunately, these specimens are virtually impossible to find on the market now as the area around Coober Pedy is difficult to mine since is no longer profitable or commercially successful for the effort required. A beautiful, fine quality and desirable example of these gorgeous pseudomorphs. Specimen weight is 11.50 grams. Priced at $800 in our inventory.