⚖ Weight: 26.4 grams
📏 Size Approx: (Ruler next to specimen in last photo)
💎 Stone Type: Virgin Valley Precious Opal (Hydrated Silica)
🎨 Primary Colors: White, cream, honey, amber, with flashes of red, orange, green, blue, and violet
✨ Features: Brilliant play-of-color, precious opal seams, and natural host rock matrix
🔍 Stone Description:
This specimen is Virgin Valley Opal from Nevada, USA, one of the world's most famous localities for precious opal. Renowned for its spectacular play-of-color, Virgin Valley opal forms within ancient fossil-bearing volcanic ash deposits and is highly prized by collectors and lapidary artists. Many specimens display vivid flashes of color that shift dramatically as the stone is moved under light.
📌 Highlights:
Color Palette:
Cream, white, honey, and amber body colors with vibrant flashes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
Patterns:
Broad flash, pinfire, rolling flash, harlequin, and mosaic play-of-color. Many specimens occur naturally within rhyolite or volcanic ash matrix.
Hardness:
~5.5–6.5 on the Mohs scale — durable enough for display and lapidary, though care should be taken to avoid impact and dehydration.
Location:
Virgin Valley, Humboldt County, Nevada, USA — home to some of the finest precious opal deposits in North America, including the famous Royal Peacock, Bonanza, and Rainbow Ridge mines.
Formation:
Formed millions of years ago when silica-rich groundwater filled cavities within volcanic ash and replaced ancient wood and other organic material. The orderly arrangement of microscopic silica spheres creates the opal's spectacular play-of-color.
Rarity:
Very High — Virgin Valley is one of the few locations in the world producing precious black, crystal, and fire opals with exceptional play-of-color. Fine-quality material with bright, stable color is highly collectible, and many of the historic deposits have become increasingly difficult to access.
📦 Additional Information:
📸 Photos taken in studio lighting and direct light to highlight natural play-of-color, color flashes, and surface texture.
💧 The stone is wet in these photos to resemble what it will look like polished, showing its full potential.
📦 I combine shipping — check my shop for other slabs, minerals, and rare mineral specimens.
📦 Ships carefully and securely packaged.
📏 You’ll receive the exact specimen pictured. (Ruler next to specimen in last photo) Refer to all photos for size and condition.
🚭 All items come from a smoke-free home.
🔎 Note: Color may vary slightly depending on lighting and monitor settings. This is a natural, untreated stone.