Virgin Valley Opalized Root Wood Plaque

Royal Peacock Mine, Virgin Valley, Humboldt County, Nevada
In a remote high desert region, at an elevation of 6,000 feet, lies Virgin Valley, an area which since 1900, has become as famous a locality for opal as Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, Australia. For collectors, the region is renowned for its clear jelly or crystal opal and also for its opalized wood. The location was once a large lake surrounded by forests of sequoia, spruce, hemlock and chestnut. A series of volcanic eruptions buried the region in layers of ash. Over the millennia, silica-rich water from the area's hot springs infiltrated the ash and hydrated silica molecules replaced the buried wood forming precious opal under certain conditions. Fashioned as a double-sided rectangular plaque this rare material is opalized replacement of a coniferous wood. Distinguished by swirling patterns of blue, green and transparent jelly opal with an iridescent red and orange flash throughout. This is a fine and rare example of a specimen from Virgin Valley designed as a flat plaque-shaped cabochon showing excellent wood grain. Weighing approximately 39.5 carats and measuring 50.77 x 30.36 x 3.56 mm.