Description
Collectors say that minerals are the universe’s autobiography, written in atoms. Mexican fire opal is the only opal prized primarily for its body color rather than play-of-color — an intense orange-red that no other gem replicates. It forms in volcanic rhyolites, where silica-rich solutions cool and deposit opal in gas cavities. Transparent fire opal can be faceted; the resulting gems look like drops of flame.
This specimen originates from Querétaro, Mexico, one of the world’s most significant localities for this type of material. Collectors and scientists have drawn from this region for generations, and for good reason: the combination of geological conditions here produces specimens of exceptional quality and clarity.
Every specimen is unique. Photographs approximate the visual experience, but the real thing — its weight, its luster under a raking light, the way it catches the corner of your eye — can only be experienced directly.
