Photograph via THE ARKENSTONE/IROCKS.COM Rob Lavinsky of The Arkenstone (www.irocks.com) brought this fascinating mineral to market, selling it to a buyer for $5,000. The specimen, which Lavinsky describes as Chalcedony on Chrysocolla stalactites (pocket), measures 9 x 7 x 6 cm. It was originally obtained by Frank Valenzuela back in the 1960s from the…
SUNSET FIRE OPAL Photograph by Jeff Schultz | gemstoneJEFF on Flickr In this beautiful close up by gemstone hobbyist Jeff Schultz, we see a stunning Mexican fire opal. When illuminated just right, it looks like a sunset above the clouds. According to Wikipedia, fire opals are transparent to translucent opals with warm…
Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica. Its water content may range from 3% to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6% to 10%. Because of its amorphous character it is classed as a mineraloid, unlike the other crystalline forms of silica which are classed as minerals. It is deposited at a…
