Reference Point: 650
AWESOME WORLD CLASS 3.07 CARAT TSEHAY MEWCHA ETHIOPIAN OPAL.
NEON GREEN/VIOLET BLUSH SATURATED HARLEQUIN PATTERN
IMAGE TAKEN UNDER SPECIALIST OPAL LIGHTING
BRIGHTNESS IS RATED ON A 1 TO 5 SCALE AS BELOW:
1. OPAL HAS COLOUR BUT IS FAIRLY DULL
2. OPAL HAS FAIR COLOUR BUT IS STILL FAIRLY DULL
3. OPAL HAS GOOD COLOUR AT ARMS LENGTH
4. OPAL IS BRIGHT AND COLOUR CRISP AT ARMS LENGTH.
5. OPAL IS BRILLIANT AND COLOUR CRISP AND HIGHLY APPARENT.
CARAT WEIGHT: 3.07 CARATS
BRIGHTNESS: 5
CUT: OVAL CABOCHON
ORIGIN: TSEHAY MEWUCHA, WELO, ETHIOPIA
TREATMENTS: NONE
Ethiopian Welo/Wello Opal is a relatively new find and rapidly gaining popularity. It has some of the most amazing patterns of any Opal, and plays of colour that reflect shades of light seen nowhere else in the natural world.
Mining at Tsehay Mewcha is a highly hazardous occupation indeed, and fatal accidents are very numerous (out of one thousand miners, 80 died in one year) mainly caused by collapsing rocks or falls from the soaring cliffs.
The prices on the International gem markets for quality Ethiopian Opal is spiralling upwards at a rate rarely seen in the gemstone world. It is without question a strictly limited resource, and this factor drives the demand, which shows no sign of abating. Those in 'the know' are investing heavily in this remarkable gemstone.