High Quality Flashy Black Ethiopian Water Opal {32g}
Listing is for the EXACT opal pictured. Color and flash may vary based on water content, photographed just out of water.
Size: 48.3mm x 38.3mm x 20.3mm
Weight (when water is absorbed, can change if dried): 32g
Want to see videos of the exact flash? Check out the exact opal & the flash on my IG page: @LiveintheLightSales
Information on Welo / Water / Ethiopian Opals:
Australia has been the dominant opal supplier for years, but recently Ethiopia has become a heavy supplier and giving Australia a run for its money. First opal discovery in Ethiopia was in 1994.
“Many of the opals mined in Ethiopia, especially from the Welo deposits, are hydrophane opals. "Hydrophane" is a name used for a porous opal that has the ability to absorb water. A change in color or transparency often accompanies the water absorption. These opals typically have a lower specific gravity than other types of opal because of their porosity. Some of these opals can absorb enough water to produce a weight gain of up to 15%.
The hydrophane property of Ethiopian opals sometimes causes durability issues. The absorption of water can result in cracking. Because of that, owners of hydrophane opal should avoid immersing it in water. [2] They do not absorb water instantly. It may take several hours for the opal to absorb a significant amount of water. Hydrophane opal will dewater if allowed to dry, and the dewatering can occur in a few days to a few weeks. After dewatering, the opal will have the same appearance and properties as before the water was absorbed.
Much of the welo opal is produced from a single area of stratified volcanic rocks. The main vein is an opalized rhyolitic ignimbrite up to one meter thick that overlies a base of clay. The opal likely formed as silica-bearing waters accumulated on top of the impermeable clay. Silica gel precipitated in the pore spaces of the ignimbrite and was later transformed into opal.
The seam outcrops along steep valley walls, where short horizontal tunnels are excavated to mine the opal. Underground mining here is very dangerous work, as the ignimbrite is often fractured, friable and poorly lithified. The seam can be traced along the valley walls where it is being mined, but its full geographic extent is unknown because the opal-bearing stratum is covered by up to 350 meters of stratified volcanic deposits. However, the deposit may extend over several kilometers and could become a major source of gem-quality opal.” ( more info on geology dot com)
