OPALISED FOSSIL SHELL
A stunning Opalised Fossil Shell from Coober Pedy, showing the colours of a rainbow with prominent blue green shades. A large gemstone ready for cutting into the most beautiful pendant or a collection specimen. Genuine Natural Australian White Solid Opal is a worthwhile investment. This rough specimen comes with a small glass jar for enhanced display. From the South Australian Opal fields of Coober Pedy.
Location:
Coober Pedy, South Australia, Australia.
Dimensions:
3.5cm x 2.8cm x 1.8cm, 94.040ct.
Opal: SiO2 · nH2O Hydrated Silicon Dioxide.
Opal has been a popular gem for many centuries and has a very interesting structure. The name opal probably is derived from the Sanskrit name for precious stone- upala. Opal is considered a mineraloid because this structure is not truly crystalline. The chemistry of Opal is primarily SiO2 and varying amounts of water. The amount of water varies from 5 -10% and greater. This water can help geologists determine the temperature of the host rock at the time the opal formed.