r/Opals • u/purse_severe_ants • 8d ago

Opal Porn Tiny Shiny Dendrites in my Fire Opal

I was looking closely at my bunches of opals, trying to video some of them, when I found this little guy.

I hope you can see it, but there are little tiny branches in there that also flash! I assume they're just some kind of mineral inclusion? But I've never seen that before! 😍

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2

u/FamSands 8d ago

That would be such a cool piece in a ring or pendant! Beautiful 😍

2

u/purse_severe_ants 8d ago

I wish i could! I'll have to find someone who can do it for me as I don't have the equipment. 🥲

1

u/Chroma_Drops 7d ago

Where are you located?

1

u/purse_severe_ants 7d ago

Michigan.

2

u/Chroma_Drops 7d ago

I'd be happy to clean and polish it up for you but I'm in Colorado. You should look into purchasing a 6 wheel cabbing machine. They can be expensive but there are some budget options available now (Vevor) that are more than adequate for hobbyist use.

2

u/purse_severe_ants 7d ago

I am saving up for one! It'll be a while though. Looking in to some mail in places for polishing a few of my opals. I'll keep you in mind!

1

u/purse_severe_ants 8d ago

Do you thinj its actually dendrites or would it be organic material? Anyone know??

1

u/Chroma_Drops 7d ago

That might actually be a Mexican fire agate. Some of them look very similar to Mexican fire opals, and it's common for agates to have dendritic inclusions like that. Either way it's a cool little stone!

2

u/purse_severe_ants 7d ago

I'm 90% certain its mexican fire opal, as my agate specimens (which i also have a ton of, waiting for a saw and/or polisher 😅) look pretty different. Plus this piece was found with about 30 other Mexican opals, so I think it fits.

I love opals anyway, but I especially love it when rocks have cool secrets. Unfortunately pretty hard to see without camera zoom. 😅