14.15 ct. Ethiopian Welo Opal, Full Fire, All Colors, 5/5 Simply The Best!

14.15 ct. Ethiopian Welo Opal, Full Fire, All Colors, 5/5 Rating two sided color. Photos are in high and lower light.

18 x 18 x 7 mm exceptional, round cabochon

Simply one of the finest opals we have ever had in the store. This brilliant peacock, puzzle, pattern surpassed is likely beyond any untreated material we could find on the market. We made a big deal on a large lot of smaller opals mined in Ethiopia and procured by our agent in Indonesia.  To get this pricing we bought a larger lot of 4-36 carat opals and demanded all three of be their top opals, at a great price if we took the large lot.

Best color I have seen in some time. All three of the large opals we bought were the best they have had in stock this year. Shows the full range of colors, (some colors not showing well on the still shots,) especially the magenta, light blue range and violet. Top 5 brightness and top 5 color. Lots of movement, no dead spots on main face, 2 sided, 2nd side (back) is nicer than most opals on the market and front side has absolute omnidirectional color, (all angles show full fire color).

The quality of material coming out of the WELO mines is declining based (update 09--2024 WAY beyond current quality) on our attempts to locate this quality and avoid treatments of any kind. We usually keep top Welo for two to three years without water to make sure it is stable and no cracks or fissures form. We only use one long time trusted supplier who sells out of Indonesia to avoid very high taxation but like in Australia this mine will not last forever and fakes abound in the market now. Much of this old stock top Welo opal is being sent to Australia and sold as Lightning Ridge opals which is unethical. Price is about to go way up.