-This is a fire opal specimen from a new finding in Honduras. -For COLLECTORS. -It has fractures, but a skilled cutter can detach some pieces from the cracks and facet them into beautiful gems. -Color is good, with some transparency.  -Untreated. -All pictures are taken in the outside under a shade and under natural light when stones are WET. -I checked the refractive index of a polished stone and it is 1.44 to 1.45. -Although this finding is new, fire opals in Honduras were reported many years ago by early explorers.  -In his book ‘The World of Opals’ (1997), Allan W. Eckert writes: “San Antonio area mines are most productive of a very light-colored precious fire opal that most resembles the Mexican variety (...). Other opals of this type occur at a number of locations throughout the country (...). The stones here, mainly found loose on the ground surface, have a colorless transparent center which turns to transparent citrine yellow and, finally, near the outside edges to a transparent light brownish-orange. The majority is used for faceting purposes”.

-And Tom R. Barbour, C.G. wrote in The Lapidary Journal (April 1965): “Produced by hand and as yet on a small scale, there is in Honduras opal of almost every description including all of that found in Australia (...). Because of the very difficult mountainous country with little or no roads, Honduras has not been developed. However, with the promise of roads in this country in the comparatively near future, we hope it will turn into one of the main gem and opal producing areas of the world (...). In the first group we will include common opal or, in other words, that which does not display colors when viewed in reflected light. The ‘Mexican fire opal’ type is found in several places throughout Honduras (...). This opal is found in weathered veins of from one-fourth of an inch up to six inches in width. The outside, next to the matrix, is a light orange brown turning to lighter shades then to a citrine color with a clear center. Most of this type (...) is fractured into pieces from one-half inch to about two inches of clear faceting material”.