Virgin Valley black fire opal

E16228

Virgin Valley black fire opal is a rare and vividly iridescent variety of opal renowned for its dark body color and brilliant play of fire, found primarily in the Virgin Valley region of Nevada.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf gemstone
mineraloid
precious opal
associatedWithLocality Humboldt County, Nevada
Virgin Valley opal fields
chemicalFormula SiO2·nH2O
colorVarietyOf opal
distinguishedBy locality in Nevada rather than Australia
often higher water content than many Australian black opals
distinguishedFrom Opal
surface form: "Australian black opal"
foundInCountry United States of America
surface form: "United States"
foundInGeologicSetting opal-bearing volcanic ash beds
sedimentary layers with volcanic origin
foundInRegion Virgin Valley
foundInState Nevada
hasBodyColor black
dark
hasColorPlay blue
green
orange
red
violet
yellow
hasComponent hydrated silica
hasFormationProcess precipitation of silica-rich solutions in cavities and fractures
hasNotableProperty brilliant play of fire
rare occurrence
vividly iridescent appearance
hasOpticalEffect iridescence
opalescence
play of color
hasPorosity high
hasStabilityIssue tendency to craze when dehydrated
hasTypicalUse collector gemstones
fine jewelry
lapidary specimens
isSoughtBy gem collectors
lapidaries
mineral enthusiasts
marketCategory black opal
occursWith common opal
opalized wood
wood opal
requiresCare avoid prolonged exposure to dry heat
avoid rapid temperature changes
valuedFor contrast between dark body tone and bright color flashes
intense multicolored fire
rarity of high-quality stones

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Nevada stateGemstone Virgin Valley black fire opal

Please wait…