Estate Precious Mexican Fire Opal Ring
From an affluent Maui Estate we bring this beauty to the marketplace. A "Precious Mexican Fire Opal" set in 14K Yellow Gold with Diamond Accents. Gorgeous. Rare.
First, a bit of explanation. When most people hear the term "Mexican Fire Opal" they think of the transparent-to-opaque, or nearly-opaque, faceted orange gemstone. But it wasn't always so. "Fire Opals" have been mined in Mexico (and elsewhere) since around the 14th Century. But what has changed over the years is the definition of the term “Fire Opal.” According to some experts, the Mexicans themselves label any Opal with Play-of-Color as “Fire Opal.” It wasn’t until the 1970s that German gem cutters, looking for faceting material, began attaching the name “Fire Opal” to transparent/near-transparent Non-Play-of-Color material with yellow-orange to red body color. Today, to be more definitive, the term “Precious Mexican Fire Opal” is used to describe those very, very rare Cabochon Opals with yellow-orange to red body color with vibrant "Play of Color." That colorful flash and sparkle that is rightly attached to gem quality Opals. Those faceted or cabochon Opals that do not have Play-of-Color are still called simply “Mexican Fire Opal.” And for transparency, even where these Opals are mined elsewhere, the name "Precious Mexican Fire Opal" is still attached.
The Cabochon of this ring measures approximately 12mm x 9mm and has a calculated weight of 3.6 Carats. The setting has a Split-Shank Design with 5 excellent quality accent natural Diamond on the shoulders of the setting. The ring is marked MEX TJ-36 B & B 14K. The ring is a size 8 and has a weight of 6 grams.
It is not unusual that studio photos do not capture the vibrant Play of Color of these Mexican Fire Opal Gems as they present best in natural Sunlight. So outside we went to an overcast Hawai'i day to cut a second video clip to illustrate the red, green, and yellow play-of-color founds in these gems.
Click HERE for a video of this Precious Mexican Fire Opal Ring.
Click HERE for an outside video clip of the Opals Play of Color.
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