Huge precision faceted fire opal

[marcy]

Great stone but of course being an astronomy nut I really said "ooh" at the great image of the Sun.

 

[T L]

Date: 4/30/2010 9:30:41 AM
Author: marcyc
Great stone but of course being an astronomy nut I really said ''ooh'' at the great image of the Sun.

Thanks Marcy.
I''ve been an astronomy nut since second grade (my first astronomy class).


Interesting tidbit about that photo:
That shot of the sun is one of the first from the new Solar Dynamics Observatory, which was launched by NASA in February of this year. It is going to provide the highest resolution images we have ever seen of the sun. Now that was one of the first photos, so we have a lot in store!!

 

[VapidLapid]

Nice cutting on that sun. Has one of those rare outclusions. With the SDO NASA will finally prove that the sun is spessatite

 

[T L]

Date: 4/30/2010 10:58:58 AM
Author: VapidLapid
Nice cutting on that sun. Has one of those rare outclusions. With the SDO NASA will finally prove that the sun is spessatite

In natural light, I like to think of the sun as more of a chrysoberyl!! LOL!

 

[gingersnap]

Oh wow, what a nice color! Can''t wait to see what you do with it. It has a really neat almost smokey quality

 

[Gailey]

What a stone TL!

I firmly believe that Fire Opal is a stone that you have to see in person. I had never given it so much as a second glance until I saw a large one, I''m guessing it was 15-20cts. And even then it wasn''t until I picked it up and it began to dance in my hand that I fell in love with it.

That photo of the sun that you posted TL is what was going on deep inside this stone. As I moved it about from side to side, these broad flashes of fire appeared, and I''m not talking about dispersion or scintillation here, but literally flashes of fire that were deep inside. I was absolutely mesmerised. I wanted to buy it but had already spent to much as it was and it was very expensive.

I have often wondered if the Paraiba Int. stones are like that, but I really think you have to see them to fully appreciate them.

Enjoy yours!

 

[T L]

Date: 4/30/2010 11:28:43 AM
Author: Gailey
What a stone TL!

I firmly believe that Fire Opal is a stone that you have to see in person. I had never given it so much as a second glance until I saw a large one, I''m guessing it was 15-20cts. And even then it wasn''t until I picked it up and it began to dance in my hand that I fell in love with it.

That photo of the sun that you posted TL is what was going on deep inside this stone. As I moved it about from side to side, these broad flashes of fire appeared, and I''m not talking about dispersion or scintillation here, but literally flashes of fire that were deep inside. I was absolutely mesmerised. I wanted to buy it but had already spent to much as it was and it was very expensive.

I have often wondered if the Paraiba Int. stones are like that, but I really think you have to see them to fully appreciate them.

Enjoy yours!

Thanks Gailey,
This is the gem that bewtiched me in the first place, and why I wanted to get a fire opal. This one has a play of color though, so it''s more valuable, but the base color is a neon orange, and yes, I would call this gem vivid. It was the most amazing orange gem I have ever seen IRL. The photo does no justice whatsoever. I would love to get one with the play of color like the one below, but those are really super pricey. This huge fire opal necklace was on display at the Field Museum. I think the ParaibaInternational stones are more like mine in the fact that they don''t have the opalescent multi-color play in them, but they do have nicely saturated base color. You can find fire opals for good pricing with color play and meh base color (white or yellow), but to find them with both a saturated orange or orange-red base color and the fine color play, is rare and very pricey.

um in Chicago.

 

[soberguy]

TL- do you think you''ll accent it with other stones? Or will it play fine on it''s own? I have also never considered them, but this stone is really amazing!

 

[vinkalmann]

Wow, that stone''s a looker

 

[T L]

Thanks again to everyone for their kind words.

Sober, I want to halo it with diamonds and a fancy gallery. I think the halo will also provide a little protection.

 

[LD]

I don''t like rose quartz but I love the one you have reserved - the cut is beautiful on it. However, what on earth are you going to do with 63 carats????? Maybe in your tummy button?

I''m a fan of fire opals (well opals in general actually). I also love your new stone. It does look a flash of the sun! Does it have a good colour play (ie different colours?) or is it more different flashes of yellow/orange/red?

 

[T L]

Date: 4/30/2010 1:14:26 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
I don't like rose quartz but I love the one you have reserved - the cut is beautiful on it. However, what on earth are you going to do with 63 carats????? Maybe in your tummy button?

I'm a fan of fire opals (well opals in general actually). I also love your new stone. It does look a flash of the sun! Does it have a good colour play (ie different colours?) or is it more different flashes of yellow/orange/red?

LD,
Normally I don't like most rose quartz, it's always a bit too sleepy to me, but I liked the cutting on that piece and the lavender I see in it. I'm hoping to make it into a pendant. Even if I don't set it, it's still a beautiful cut specimen and the price was ridiculously cheap. I can't resist bargains!!

Thanks for the kind words, and this stone unfortunately does not have color play. I'm having a real dinger of a time finding a saturated orange fire opal with the addition of color play, but for what it is, I'm very satisfied. I bought a small fire opal off ebay as a tester piece from a vendor, and it has amazing color play in the sun only and the base color is washed out yellow orange, but it's pretty. I have read that the color play gets more intense in the sun, and while I don't mind paying a premium for the color play, I didn't want it to only be lively in the sun. As for the base color on this opal, it looks good in all kinds of lighting, so I'm happy. The faceting helps play off the color and give it flashes of yellow orange and red.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

How about this for inspiration? 24 ct fire opal

Wow - your ópal with a halo is going to be huge! 110% finger coverage?

 

[T L]

Lady D,
I was waiting for you to pop in since you adore sleepy stones. That fire opal ring is beautiful!! Thanks for sharing that!! Drooool!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

What a lovely profile!

 

[T L]

Cool ring, but it somehow reminds me of that movie "2001, A Space Odyssey" and I''m trying to figure out why?

 

[packrat]

Cool stones TL! The fire opal is amazing! I have one, but it''s not faceted. It''s neat tho-it reminds me of those balls you put your hands on and then the static electricity makes your hair stand up, and all colors flash and twirl around in the ball.

I''d never seen that cutter mentioned here before so I went and looked at his site-some really neat cuts there!

 

[empress]

Very pretty stone!

 

[y2kitty]

I love this fire opal!!!

 

[T L]

Thanks everyone!!

Here''s another photo with all my set spessartites in a combination of fluorescent and natural diffused light. My fire opal is not more orange than my pear spessartite, but for some reason the orange pear spessartite looks less saturated in this picture

. Maybe I''ll try some sunlight photos with all four.

 

[Arkteia]

Always love your spessartines. I think I saw the opal in osirisgems ebay store. Do you remember how two months ago Jeff Hunt pointed out this store? Someone also mentioned planning to use Uli's services for recutting. Anyhow, there was a huge, beautifully cut ametrine in the store, and we were all discussing it, and, of course, in five minutes it was gone, bought by someone anonymous!

I was looking at Uli's dark quartz, cut in a very unusual way, with "rounded petals" (for lack of a better word). I really wanted to buy it , but it was so huge! I was thinking of attaching an argentum base to it and wearing it on my wrist, on a black ribbon! (Funny, isn't it?). But then I decided it was too huge for a bracelet. I am glad that you bought such a nice opal from him, and that you have the courage to make a piece of jewelry out of it. Good luck with your project.

 

[virgoruby]

What a stunning fire opal - it would look fabulous set in a ring!
Your rose quarz is also very pretty.

 

[ruffysdad]

Mega-Juicy!!!! Really love that cushion too but then I''m a garnet freak

!

 

[gsellis]

I think opal is underutilized and underrated as a faceted stone. Sure it is soft. But it can be so dreamy (sleepy sounds boring) and you can get that fire surprise. The one piece I have finished, I dropped the dop onto the basement concrete removing it. It broke the culet off and split the girdle. Sigh. But I have a piece from Spenser sitting in my drawer. Just waiting for those 40 hour days to start so I have time to do everything I want to do...

 

[ma re]

I always wonder why stones like fire opals aren''t cut more often in forms such as buftops.

 

[Stone Hunter]

What neat stones! And so BIG

. Hope you love them when you see them IRL!! TFS

 

[klewis]

The first time I ever heard of a Fire Opal was when I was transfixed by this amazing pic from Pala - a Mexican Fire Opal as their featured stone for July that year. Whenever I went anywhere where opal was sold I asked after Fire Opal but never actually saw one IRL.
Yours is a sizable beauty TL

 

[brandy_z28]

Gorgeous TL that is one heck of a stone!! I''m a fire opal lover myself!

 

[T L]

Date: 5/1/2010 1:11:48 AM
Author: crasru
Always love your spessartines. I think I saw the opal in osirisgems ebay store. Do you remember how two months ago Jeff Hunt pointed out this store? Someone also mentioned planning to use Uli''s services for recutting. Anyhow, there was a huge, beautifully cut ametrine in the store, and we were all discussing it, and, of course, in five minutes it was gone, bought by someone anonymous!

I was looking at Uli''s dark quartz, cut in a very unusual way, with ''rounded petals'' (for lack of a better word). I really wanted to buy it , but it was so huge! I was thinking of attaching an argentum base to it and wearing it on my wrist, on a black ribbon! (Funny, isn''t it?). But then I decided it was too huge for a bracelet. I am glad that you bought such a nice opal from him, and that you have the courage to make a piece of jewelry out of it. Good luck with your project.

Hi Crasru, I miss your presence on this board lately. I don''t remember Jeff Hunt poiting out Uli''s store. Well, he has some very pretty precision cuts, and it''s always nice to add someone new to the many talented lapidaries mentioned on Pricescope. Thanks for the kind words.

 

[T L]

Date: 5/1/2010 6:42:37 PM
Author: klewis
The first time I ever heard of a Fire Opal was when I was transfixed by this amazing pic from Pala - a Mexican Fire Opal as their featured stone for July that year. Whenever I went anywhere where opal was sold I asked after Fire Opal but never actually saw one IRL.
Yours is a sizable beauty TL

I saw that picture on Pala a while ago, I think those are calcite inclusions if I''m not mistaken. Very cool stone.

Thanks Klewis.