Museum Quality Vintage 8.5" Australian Precious Opal Carving w/ GIA Report

Description

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Item Description
Being offered is a
GIA Certified 4,600+ carat Museum Quality Precious Opal Carving
in
Preowned Condition
The Opal
This incredibly rare, GIA-certified, museum quality precious opal carving depicts The Old Man of the South Pole with a child and a deer.
GIA Certificate Number:  6193650272
The carving weighs over 4,600 carats!!!  (929.1 grams)
It measures 216 x 95 x 61mm.  (8 1/2" x 3 3/4" x 2 3/8")
The natural, precious white opal was originally mined from Coober Pedy, South Australia, and was likely sent to Hong Kong for carving in the 1970s.  It displays a play-of-color that features flashes of green, blue, violet, and purple.
The intricacy of the carving is simply amazing.  It's possible to spend hours admiring the details of the figure.
The carving has been luster enhanced, which means it has a wax coating to prevent it from drying out and cracking.  There is an area at the base of the carving that has been repaired.
The opal carving will be accompanied by its original, corresponding GIA Gemological Report.
______________________________________
The Old Man of the South Pole
In Chinese mythology, there's a tale of longevity that features The Old Man of the South Pole, also known as Shòu Xīng.
The Old Man of the South Pole is a Chinese mythological character that personifies the brightest star of the constellation, Carina.  This star is named
Canopus,
which is also known as the
Star of Longevity
.
In this tale, there are two old men playing chess under a mulberry tree.  The man sitting to the north of the chess board is Běi Dǒu 北斗, or the
Northern Dipper.
It is Běi Dǒu who records the date of death.  The old man sitting to the south of the chess board is Nán Dǒu 南斗, or the
Southern Dipper
.  Nán Dǒu records the date of birth.
These two men are visited by a youth who is destined to die at the age of 19.  The young man brings gifts of wine and deer meat to the old men and, in exchange, is granted the gift of longevity, as Nán Dǒu transposed the characters, altering the young boy's date of death from 19 years of age to 91 years of age.
______________________________________
The Value
We have never seen a precious opal carving of this magnitude and quality before!
In 2013, an opal carving that weighed 655 carats and measured 4" x 2 1/2" sold for ,500.00.
In 2011, an opal carving that measured 2 1/4" x 1 3/4" sold for 0.00.
In 2011, an opal carving that measured 2 7/8" x 2" sold for 0.00.
This carving is GIA-certified, stands 8 1/2" tall, and weighs ≈ 4,645.50 carats, which is over 2 pounds!!
It really should be displayed at GIA's World Headquarters in Carlsbad, California, but this is your opportunity to own a magnificent, museum quality, precious opal carving!
GIA Certified 4,600+ carat Vintage Opal Carving of The Old Man of the South Pole - YouTube
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GIA Gemological Report
Date:
September 4, 2018
Report Number:
6193650272
Gem Species:
Natural Opal
Shape:
Pierced Carving
Transparency:
Semi-Translucent to Opaque
Color:
Light Brown
Phenomenon:
Displaying Play-of-Color
Measurements:
21.60 x 9.50 x 6.10cm
Weight:
929.1 grams
Treatment:
Luster Enhanced (Wax Coating to Prevent Drying/Cracking)
Comments:
This carving has been repaired (Small area at the rear of the base)
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AYMENT
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OLICY
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UR
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UARANTEE
All gem and jewelry items have been evaluated by a Graduate Gemologist (GIA) and Certified Master Appraiser (NAJA) inside our NAJA Accredited Gemological Laboratory. We guarantee this item to be as described and pictured or we will refund 100% of your purchase price plus return shipping. However, we do not accept buyer's remorse returns, so please ask any questions you have before purchasing the item.
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ETURN
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OLICY
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