Exceptional Double-Sided Black Opal with Red Pinfire
Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia
A fine "nobby" opal (nodule opal) with vivid and "present" color unmasked by the haze which one often finds in seam opals. The flat face is evenly covered with a pinfire to floral pattern of crimson red to green with flashes of blue and purple. The reverse side is domed and exhibits areas of midnight black potch with radiating lines of green, blue and orange and red flashes. Of substantial size, this is an exceptional old mine stone for the serious collector. Weighing approximately 33.52 carats and measuring 37.0 x 22.0 x 7.0mm
GLORIA MANNEY
Every curator, dealer and auctioneer who has met Gloria Manney called her "one of a kind" or said, "they don't make 'em like her anymore." She was a voracious collector with a style, intelligence, curiosity, courage and point of view all her own.
Along with her husband, Richard Manney, they researched and collected an amazing array of material culture and built entire markets for objects by aiding scholars in their work, including rare books and 18th and 19th Century fine and decorative arts. Their collections included the greatest assemblages of American portrait miniatures and American colonial goldsmithing, both now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their furniture resides at Winterthur, The Met and The Art Institute of Chicago.
But above all the objects in their lives, Opals were Gloria's first and foremost passion from childhood. They were her birthstone, her playthings, and her favorite adornment. No opal passed her by, as she believed every opal needed a home. A magpie by nature, their beauty entranced her. Gloria worked with dealers and auctioneers around the world to find opals. And the opals found her.
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Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia
A fine "nobby" opal (nodule opal) with vivid and "present" color unmasked by the haze which one often finds in seam opals. The flat face is evenly covered with a pinfire to floral pattern of crimson red to green with flashes of blue and purple. The reverse side is domed and exhibits areas of midnight black potch with radiating lines of green, blue and orange and red flashes. Of substantial size, this is an exceptional old mine stone for the serious collector. Weighing approximately 33.52 carats and measuring 37.0 x 22.0 x 7.0mm
GLORIA MANNEY
Every curator, dealer and auctioneer who has met Gloria Manney called her "one of a kind" or said, "they don't make 'em like her anymore." She was a voracious collector with a style, intelligence, curiosity, courage and point of view all her own.
Along with her husband, Richard Manney, they researched and collected an amazing array of material culture and built entire markets for objects by aiding scholars in their work, including rare books and 18th and 19th Century fine and decorative arts. Their collections included the greatest assemblages of American portrait miniatures and American colonial goldsmithing, both now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their furniture resides at Winterthur, The Met and The Art Institute of Chicago.
But above all the objects in their lives, Opals were Gloria's first and foremost passion from childhood. They were her birthstone, her playthings, and her favorite adornment. No opal passed her by, as she believed every opal needed a home. A magpie by nature, their beauty entranced her. Gloria worked with dealers and auctioneers around the world to find opals. And the opals found her.