Bonhams & Butterfields' First Auction Dedicated to Opals

Bonhams & Butterfields has announced The Nature of Opals sale to be held on November 10 in San Francisco. The sale will be among the first public auctions in the United States devoted to opals as well as the first dedicated offering in this category for Bonhams & Butterfields. Featured highlights will include a diverse group of high quality and distinctive jewelry, unmounted stones, mineral specimens, lapidary works of art, decorative objects, décor and opalized fossils, made from the opulent gem.
All of nature's grandeur appears to be reflected within the diverse richness of opals. Elements such as fire, water, air and sea are mirrored within each opulent gem. Opal has a non-crystalline nature and is composed of microscopic silica spheres in a hexagonal lattice matrix. The complex order of these spheres gives the gem its multifaceted coloring and unique personality.

Opals range in hue from clear, such as Mexican Fire Opals to be offered during the November auction, through red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, brown, and black. Commonly referred to as "opalising," the continually changing play of colors, boasts radiant intensity within each color variation. Opals can be found at locations around the globe including Virgin Valley, Nevada; United States; Mexico; Brazil; Peru; Europe; Ethiopia and Australia, where the item is considered is the national gemstone. Examples from all of these localities will be on offer in this auction.

Highlighting the exceptional and educational selection is a stunning opal and 18K gold Presentation Box by famed lapidary artist, Manfred Wild of Idar-Oberstein, Germany (est. $100,000 - 150,000). Set with a large 224.24-carat oval cabochon of white opal from Coober Pedy, Australia, the piece also contains black matrix opal that has been used to create the inset panels.

The jewelry section features the work of several notable designers and includes a flaming tangerine-red; Mexican Fire Opal and diamond necklace, mounted in 18K yellow gold, comprised of 40 opal cabochons and 11.3-carats of diamonds (est. $20,000-30,000) with a matching pair of earrings (est. $2,500-3,500); a black opal and cultured pearl necklace by renowned Boston jewelry designer, Angela Conty (est. $10,000- 15,000); a figure of a bear constructed of highly sought after white Australian opals in a diamond-set brooch mount (est. $13,000-15,000); an Andamooka opal carving of Buddha (est. 2,500-3,500); a brilliant pendant constructed of 12.25-carats of opals surrounded by 40 diamonds (est. $5,500-6,500) and a subtly colored opal flower brooch (est. $2,8003,250), among others.

Opalized wood is also represented within the sale by a unique example of a large tree limb in which the cellular structure of the tree has been replaced by opalization. Weighing in at a hefty 85 lbs, the extraordinary specimen from Koroit, Queensland, Australia, measures approximately five feet long and is estimated to bring $35,000-45,000. Opalized fossils known to originate in Coober Pedy, Australia will also be featured in the November sale. Highlights will include a rare opalized jawbone section of the Cretaceous sea creature Pleiosaur, contour polished on one face to reveal the brilliant spectral play-of-color within (est. $24,000- 28,000).

"The opal is highly sought after by connoisseurs, gemstone and jewelry collectors for its unique optical properties. The market for the gem remains strong and the exceptional examples, such as those featured in the November auction, are extremely rare," said Claudia Florian G.J.G., Co-Consulting Director, Natural History, who is curating the auction.

Bonhams & Butterfields is a leader in the Natural History marketplace, able to present a variety of jewelry, gemstones, fossils and minerals at impressive prices. As recently as June 2008, the firm sold perhaps the most famous and recognizable opal in the world - the "Flame Queen" - for $120,000. Extraordinary not only for its large size (263.18-carats), but also for its unusual shape and color pattern, the "Flame Queen" was one of only a handful of large museum-quality opals known, even fewer have ever been offered at public auction.

Exhibitions will continue throughout the fall in celebration of the opal as the birthstone for the month of October. Highlight previews will be held at the firm's salesrooms across the United States, with the tour culminating in a full a preview and auction at Bonhams & Butterfields in San Francisco on November 10.