2.95 Ct. Cabochon White Opal from Australia

This White Opal from Australia is a finely executed cabochon, weighing 2.95 carat with exact dimensions of 15.21 x 9.93 x 4.60 mm, an oval outline that preserves symmetry and optimizes visual balance. The stone is opaque with intense color intensity and multi color play, exhibiting blue green and occasional red flashes across a pale body tone. The cabochon cut in this specimen is engineered to enhance diffraction from the internal silica sphere lattice, the convex dome height of 4.60 mm providing sufficient optical path length for constructive interference and saturated play of color. The oval planform aligns the broad face with the dominant color patches, reducing edge loss and maximizing visible flash when viewed face up, while the even dome curvature minimizes light leakage and allows sub surface color patches to refract and reflect with consistent brightness. Excellent polish on the dome and girdle reduces surface scatter, enabling crisp windowing of pinfire and broad flash patterns, and the absence of enhancements confirms the natural structure and unaltered refractive behavior.

From a lapidary perspective this piece demonstrates deliberate preforming and successive laps of grinding, sanding, and fine buffing to attain surface continuity and symmetrical outline. The cutter retained adequate thickness to preserve play of color across varying angles, avoiding over thinning which would diminish diffraction efficiency. The uniform polish quality indicates control of cutting speed and abrasive progression, essential for minimizing micro abrasions that would otherwise scatter light and mute color intensity. As supplied by The Natural Gemstone Company this White Opal is unenhanced, with no stabilization or composite assembly, making it suitable for careful jewelry settings where the dome can be protected, such as bezel or halo mounts that shield the girdle and reduce exposure to impact. Given the opaque body and intense internal play, we recommend settings that present the stone face up with moderate elevation to allow light to interact across angles, and caution against prolonged exposure to harsh chemicals or ultrasonic cleaning which can affect porosity. This oval 2.95 carat White Opal offers technical integrity and aesthetic brilliance, a balanced example of expert cut, high polish, and natural Australian origin, ready for precise mounting or collection.