Opal (var: Opal-AN) / (var: Hyalite Opal) (“Blood Vessel Opal”)

Opal (var: Opal-AN) / (var: Hyalite Opal) (“Blood Vessel Opal”)Wow, I was impressed when I saw this piece as the sheer aesthetics are almost unheard of for the material. Typically, its impossible for these Hyalites to form in such a pleasing three dimensional shape, but this piece breaks the mold. Not only is it incredibly showy, but it has a wide range of colors starting with a fiery orange red hue on one end which grades across the specimen into nearly colorless pale golden color and is actually opaque WHITE at

but they are mostly opaque

It’s obviously from a very obscure locality

The Demantoids from the famous Val Malenco (Malenco Valley) are among the most well-known and highly sought after Garnets in the world

which are often intergrown or stacked with a "bead"-like appearance

The crystals sit wonderfully on bladed Albite (var: "Cleavelandite") matrix with a coating of Muscovite

Copal is classified as a "young amber"

twinned Ferberite specimen from the famous Tasna mine in Bolivia

a fabled alchemist from the 15th century who was the first to discover properties of antimony

It's essentially a reference specimen as both ends are contacted on the Amazonite

In 2009 some very impressive and attractive specimens of Scorzalite were found at the Estano Orcko mine in Bolivia

razor sharp

incredibly glassy