Message:

<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Any Jewelry, post: 317466, member: 2844&quot;]Agree, could be a black Welo (Wollo) opal, of the hydrophane kind.</p><p>Most Welos are hydrophane, which means they contain more water than &#039;regular&#039; opals. That also makes them fragile, which, along with the cracks, could be a real problem if you want to cut this lovely. Some are dyed, btw.</p><p>I would advise you to leave it as it is.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here is some info on the determination of hydrophane:</p><p><a href="https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/FA13-LN-technique-hydrophane-opal" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/FA13-LN-technique-hydrophane-opal" rel="nofollow">https://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/FA13-LN-technique-hydrophane-opal</a></p><p><br /></p><p>On hydrophane Welo opals, how to cut them, and the danger of (further) cracking:</p><p><a href="https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/a-z-of-opals/hydrophane-opal-information" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/a-z-of-opals/hydrophane-opal-information" rel="nofollow">https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/a-z-of-opals/hydrophane-opal-information</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

Your name or email address:

Do you already have an account?

• No, create an account now.
• Yes, my password is:
• Forgot your password?

Stay logged in