Ethiopian Welo Opal

• Grading: IF
• Design: Custom 
• Color: Multicolored
• Origin: Ethiopia
• Treatment: None at all
• Hardness: 5.5-6.5
• Refractive Index: 1.43-1.47
• Cut: Custom cut by Doug (2X Award-winning gemstone faceter/USFG Certified Grand Master Faceter)

Opal is an amorphous form of silica, chemically similar to quartz, but containing 3% to 21% water within its mineral structure. Gem grade opals usually have 6% to 10% water content. Opal is a sedimentary stone. Under the proper conditions, water percolates through the earth, becoming rich in dissolved silicates. When water enters a cavity, it deposits the silicates as microscopic spheres, forming opals. If the spheres are uniform in size and shape and neatly stacked, they will diffract light.

*CARE (Welo Opal)*

Very heat sensitive, clean with soft clean cotton cloth. If the Welo opal gets soaked with water, it will absorb water internally and will take 3-14 days to dry out and return to it’s original beautiful color. This is what’s called a “Hydrophane opal” which means that it has an affinity to absorb water. Avoid wearing the gem where it will get rough treatment.

*CLARITY CHART*

IF – Internally flawless; free of inclusions
VVS – Very, very slight inclusions; microscopic inclusions barely
      seen under a loupe with 10x magnification
VS – Very Slight inclusions; visible inclusions that can be seen under magnification and sometimes also with the unaided eye.
SI – Small inclusions; inclusions that are obvious under magnification and to the unaided eye.
I – Heavy or large inclusions obvious to the naked eye

All gemstones listed here have been cut by myself. I work exclusively with a precision machine when faceting gemstones. This allows extra brilliance and appeals only seen in precision-cut gems. Gemstones are cut at their correct refractive index using digital precision, this facilitates making the correct facet angles allowing the maximum amount of light to enter and reflect back up through the table. This allows optimum brilliance according to each gemstone's individual refractive index. Special care in polishing ensures that the faceted gem is showcased in all its brilliance. The introduction of precision faceting machines has revolutionized the art of gem cutting allowing the gem cutter to unveil the inner beauty of every single gemstone like it has never been done before. The cut of a gem is one of the main values of a gemstone and each gemstone requires special attention in order to unveil its potential beauty. If you're looking for that extra special stone, I hope you find it here.
Sincerely,
Doug

"Light reflects off of Jewels,
But, "It" comes from above."