While searching for lost earring I found this........UPDATE

Nashoba · Feb 7, 2007

I was searching for a lost gold earring yesterday at a local park that dates back to the early 1900's.....It is has been hunted over and over and over. Well, we never get it all do we? I got a very srong dime hit reading 8 inches and I was thinking maybe a merc?
Well, it was no merc but it was this!
I posted on the What is it forum as well, because of the stamp on the back. It appears to be quite old and the stone is truly amazing
~Nash~
UPDATE........... had the pendant looked at, but I was NOT going to pay $75 for an official appraisal!!! The guy did look at it and said it is a single crystal opal and the stone alone was valued at around 4 hundred Dollars. He could not identify the makers mark either and was pretty puzzled. Of course he wanted to buy it for $200......I THINK NOT!

OldBillinUT · Feb 8, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

Nash I can not be certain looking at the pic if that is a mozaic opal it has a lot of color and very cool looking. I only know of 2 kinds of black opal. As mentioned about the doublets there can be a dark backing slab or slice. I have seen some nice ones topped with clear quartz. Matrix opals have been processed to darken the back. Sugar is dissolved into the stone and then turned to carbon slick huh ?

ModernMiner · Feb 8, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

Nash,
Beautiful looking piece.
Congrats.
-MM-

Eddy1H · Feb 8, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

Very nice , really like that stone, wtg
Eddy

Nashoba · Feb 8, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

Ya know....For such a small find this thing has created a lot of fun and provoked some very intruiging thoughts. I have, as of yet, been unable to identify the mark or maker of it. Thanks for all of your input and help identifying this opal of some kind and sterling pendant. LOL
Happy hunting to you all!
~Nash~

MikeTN · Feb 8, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

Awesome Nash! My fiance and I collect opals. (we have hundreds of them)

What you found looks to be a Opal Triplet. Which has three layers. the opal itself is sandwiched between a dark layer on the bottom and a clear crystal on top. Look at it from the side and you may see the clear part. If you see opal from a side view you have either a doublet or possibly a solid. But as someone posted earlier it is pretty uncommon to mount a solid opal like that in silver. If it is a solid it would be a what is called a "Black Opal" which is considered the best of the best!! (And my personal fave) Most gem quality opals come from Australia. But black opal can be found in the states in Nevada but they can be unstable and have to be kept in water. Anyways I could go on and on about them. But anyway you look at it what you found is nothing short of Amazing! I can only hope to find some opal jewelry. I'd consider that one of my better finds if I were you!

Thanks for share'n I had been hope'n to see someone come up with an opal!!!

Mike

doyboy · Feb 8, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

Holy crap, Nash, those arms look like they are going to explode. I bet you dug that 8" hole in about 5 seconds.

treasuremaster · Feb 8, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nashoba · Feb 8, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

MikeTN said:
Awesome Nash! My fiance and I collect opals. (we have hundreds of them) What you found looks to be a Opal Triplet. Which has three layers. the opal itself is sandwiched between a dark layer on the bottom and a clear crystal on top. Look at it from the side and you may see the clear part. If you see opal from a side view you have either a doublet or possibly a solid. But as someone posted earlier it is pretty uncommon to mount a solid opal like that in silver. If it is a solid it would be a what is called a "Black Opal" which is considered the best of the best!! (And my personal fave) Most gem quality opals come from Australia. But black opal can be found in the states in Nevada but they can be unstable and have to be kept in water. Anyways I could go on and on about them. But anyway you look at it what you found is nothing short of Amazing! I can only hope to find some opal jewelry. I'd consider that one of my better finds if I were you!

Thanks for share'n I had been hope'n to see someone come up with an opal!!!

Mike

I just examined the stone with my loop and there is definitely no layer on the top. It is channel set but you can see deep into the stone and on the bottom one side appears to be a very bright pink and the other it turns bright blue....The speckled opal look appears to be through and through

??

~Nash~

MikeTN · Feb 8, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

Wooohooo that is good news! Lets hope it's a solid! It is very possible!
Believe it or not some people prefer silver over gold. Also at one time it was illegal to own gold in the US. A lot of jewelry was made with silver. Can't wait to show your find to my fiance! She'll be wanting to go TH'n all weekend after that!

Mike

Smithrow1 · Feb 8, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

Great find.

Scots Gaelic · Feb 8, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

MikeTN said:
Wooohooo that is good news! Lets hope it's a solid! It is very possible!
Believe it or not some people prefer silver over gold. Also at one time it was illegal to own gold in the US. A lot of jewelry was made with silver. Can't wait to show your find to my fiance! She'll be wanting to go TH'n all weekend after that!

Mike

When was it illegal to own gold & why?

Nashoba · Feb 9, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

Scots Gaelic said:
MikeTN said:

Wooohooo that is good news! Lets hope it's a solid! It is very possible!
Believe it or not some people prefer silver over gold. Also at one time it was illegal to own gold in the US. A lot of jewelry was made with silver. Can't wait to show your find to my fiance! She'll be wanting to go TH'n all weekend after that!

Mike

Click to expand...

When was it illegal to own gold & why?

As quoted from the website found below........"Yes, in this country, from 1933 to 1974 it was illegal for U.S. citizens to own gold in the form of gold bullion, without a special license. On January 1, 1975, these restrictions were lifted and gold can now be freely held in the U. S. without any licensing or restrictions of any kind.

http://www.coingallery.com/faqLegal_IssuesGold.htm#Was%20gold%20illegal%20to%20own%20at%20one%20time?

~Nash~

RON (PA) · Feb 9, 2007

Re: While searching for lost earring I found this........

the opal pendant is very nice. Great little find, Nash. Keep up the good work.

MikeTN · Feb 16, 2007

Isn't there something you want to share with us Rand?

Mike

Charlene · Feb 16, 2007

Terrific find Nash, its very pretty. Congrats.

mountainplayer · Feb 16, 2007

Nash,

Way to go on getting a value estimate, my friend. I'd be pretty happy with a $400 MD find, even though I'd never be able to sell it (how many guys can say they found something that they could sell for twice what their detector cost?).

Too bad you couldn't solve the marking mystery, but give it time and who knows what someone may be able to tell you about it. I keep revisiting your post and looking at the photo...it looks OLD, you know?

MP

sparkymaster · Feb 16, 2007

Dude, that's sweet. Very nice find!

HH

sparkymaster

Mac the Knife · Feb 16, 2007

Nice find, dude...

Nashoba · Feb 16, 2007

mountainplayer said:
Nash,

Way to go on getting a value estimate, my friend. I'd be pretty happy with a $400 MD find, even though I'd never be able to sell it (how many guys can say they found something that they could sell for twice what their detector cost?).

Too bad you couldn't solve the marking mystery, but give it time and who knows what someone may be able to tell you about it. I keep revisiting your post and looking at the photo...it looks OLD, you know?

MP

I agree with you as this does have some good age to it. As far as selling it goes, there is no way I am selling it until I find out the maker...Perhaps not even then. It is my favorite find to date. Finding out it was, in fact, a solid stone was awesome as most are doublets or triplets. The guy who tried to get it for $200 must have thought I was a moron. Little did he know, I still have a mystery to solve and solve it I will.
In the meantime, thanks to everyone who posted about this. A lot of people are trying to help me find that mark and I have faith that someone will find it someday.
I thank all of you very much. Oddly enough I have made some new friends with this find and they are much more valuable than the pendant!
Ciao for now
~Nash~

Two months finds have more than paid for the Ace250. Lets just see what the next few months bring when I start digging my new spot.