SOLID SEMI BLACK OPAL Fire display showing bands of colour

This SOLID SEMI BLACK Opal is from the Lightning Ridge mining fields in Australia.

This magnificent opal has an enchanting fire display showing bands of colour alternating with black opal. Formed over thousands of years, the molten silica slowly oozed between the surrounding earths forming precious opal, sometimes the earth would be disturbed by tremors or earthquakes, mixing the micro spheres and turning them into black opal (potch). Once the earth had settled again, it would proceed to form the precious opal where the micro spheres are aligned to produce colour. The result is the band of alternating colour and black opal.

The coloured bands are showing very bright rolling flashes of red, orange, yellow and green. Uniformly dispersed throughout the bands and over a background of peacock blue. The colours show all of the time and the opal is great in all lights.