MEXICAN OPAL SAFARI
A slide presentation by Wolf Kuehn. Pictures cannot be retrieved without prior permission.
[ Access to the Opal Mine ]
[ Workers in the Mine ]
[ Selection of Mexican Opal ]
[ Beautiful Opal Specimen ]
[ Unique Mexican Opals ]
[ Scenery around Queretaro ]
Interesting carved Mexican opal
Better quality Mexican opal usually has a reddish-orange base colour with lighter to darker shades. Other base colours are possible.
Mexican opal is typically an orange crystal. If it does not show any play of colour it is inappropriately called fire opal and usually faceted . These stones sometimes are easily confused with orange agate.
Superb piece of Mexican opal
Very nice top quality Mexican opal cabochons. I was told that the rough for these pieces has been stored initially for five years before cutting. An opal dealer recently reported that they had problems with material coming from a shaft just 20 m from the original mine where the material used to be durable. The opals broke into pieces when polished.
Mexican opal in rhyolite
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