ETHIOPIAN OPAL
Yita Ridge, Menz Gishe District, Shewa Province, Ethiopia
Most opal comes from either the famous fields of Australia or from Mexico (with small deposits found in Butte, Oregon). In 1939, however, based on the discovery of artifacts in a cave in Kenya that were dated to around 4,000 BCE, the famous anthropologist Dr. L. Leakey reported that early man used opal to fashion tools, so inferring that opal mines must exist in Africa. Years passed, and it was not until 1993 that opals from Ethiopia were first reported on sale at a Nairobi gem market. Here is a gorgeous domed and polished cabochon of superb quality, with brilliant electric green and blue, and fiery red and orange, approximately 3/4 x 11/16 x 5/16 and weighing approximately 10 cts.