Rays From The Rising Sun--An Opal Worth $550K

Getting Stoned: A Podcast About Gems and Minerals

Today on Getting Stoned, I have Robert Cleaver on. Robert, who owns a mine in Australia, will share the story of a unique opal called "Rays From The Rising Sun.”

Part of this opal’s story is that it was originally chosen to exhibit at the Smithsonian with the Hope Diamond, however, it didn’t receive a donor so it wasn’t exhibited.

Robert is looking to sell the opal, which was valued in 1992 at $550,000. He plans to use the funds to expand his mining business. He only has one request--that whoever buys the opal doesn’t cut it.

Robert emailed me a copy of the lab report of the opal by Barrie O'Leary Opals that explains that the opal, weighing 600 metric carats, is valued at $550,000 US dollars. I asked Robert about the name and he told me that the original owner named it Rays From The Rising Sun.

The lab report shared that the name comes from the iluvisnandos pattern which is Spanish for 'rainy,' that you can clearly see in the opal. Google Translate translated the word to "illuminating," which I think fits the opal beautifully.

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