Beautiful Opals!

With good reason, most people think of Australia when they think of opal, but it is also found in Slovakia, Peru, Mexico, and Brazil. According to Opalglobe.com, most largest Brazilian mines are in Pedro Secundo in the Piaui State. The largest mine is the Boi Morto mine. One unique feature of Brazilian opal is its lower water content. Brazilian opal have 5 to 6% water compared to 10to 12% in Australian opal. This makes Brazilian opal far more stable, and less likely to be damaged by exposure to sunlight or temperature changes.

We recently had a chance to see some Brazilian opal close up when we had a visit from our favorite Brazilian rough dealer. In his bag of goodies were these gorgeous opals. He was kind enough to let me to photos of them to share with you. The photos do not do them justice!

87.60 cts - is very fine one with broad flash colors and red
38 mm x 29 mm x 11.5 mm deep
from the Pedro II area of the state of Piaui in the North of Brasil.
$7000

88.18 carats smaller flashes, more green and yellows etc.
46 mm x 28 mm x 10 mm deep
from the Pedro II area of the state of Piaui in the North of Brasil.
$7000

Why you need a gemologist...

http://sfpublicpress.org/news/2010-07/macys-sells-rubies-filled-with-glass