**First Time At Auction**

Oceania, Australia, Cretaceous Period, ca. 110 million years ago. A stunning display of opal encased in a stone matrix! The color play of blue and lilac iridescence within the opal is wonderfully captured in the fissures of the stone and contrasts agreeably with the brown tones. The matrix is sliced with a cleft profile to reveal a large section of the interior opal structure on the frontside, and veins of opalization on the verso. The outer edge of the matrix has been polished, while the interior is left mostly in its natural state. This piece has a flat base to stand upright on. Opal is a silica and water compound that settles into niches and crevices of stone or organic matter where it solidifies. The color play in this opal is exquisite! Size: 4.5" L x 2" W x 3.5" H (11.4 cm x 5.1 cm x 8.9 cm)

Provenance: ex-Stein collection, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA, acquired prior to 2010

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#164098

Outer edge of matrix is polished and interior is left raw. Cut with a flat base and felt pads added to base for stability.