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Author Topic: Virgin Valley Opalized wood  (Read 5453 times)

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PhilNM

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Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« on: October 17, 2016, 03:53:46 PM »
Hi all, got another one.... can anyone tell me going price per carat for top quality opalized wood? Thanks
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Orrum

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2016, 04:10:56 PM »
Ahh that's fire Phil!!!
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Phishisgroovin

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2016, 07:23:31 PM »
Thats amazing!!
is it hard to come by?
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rockjunquie

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2016, 08:40:40 AM »
Beautiful! I have one tiny sliver of pure virgin valley opal that I bought years ago. It wasn't cheap.
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vitzitziltecpatl

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2016, 10:19:29 AM »
Can't really give you an estimate, but dry, stable, untreated VV wood should command a high price. Most of it winds up sitting around in jars of water.

Look around online. Price yours according to what you see there. We have one stable VV cab that has a crazy price on it according to most people. Wouldn't take less, though, because I've never seen another one similar to it.
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PhilNM

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2016, 10:22:26 AM »
Quote from: Phishisgroovin on October 21, 2016, 07:23:31 PM
Thats amazing!!
is it hard to come by?
Very hard to find. This came from a small piece of limb. We have cabbed about 10 pieces so far. All really nice! I'm thinking about $5 per carat?
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rocks2dust

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2016, 11:59:05 AM »
I'd pay that as fast as I could grab my wallet. I think you could go 5-10x higher (or more) for stable opalized wood like that and have no trouble finding buyers. Very attractive piece!
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PhilNM

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2016, 03:49:03 PM »
Thanks. I'll see if I can get some decent pics of the others.
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gemfeller

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2016, 04:47:27 PM »
Phil, you might get better price comparisons if you search for conk opal or opalized conk wood.  That seems to be the name most people use for the VV material.
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PhilNM

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #9 on: October 22, 2016, 05:33:36 PM »
thanks. It still needs the final polishing, but I think it's gonna be killer!  Where could I sell them for those prices?
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gemfeller

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2016, 06:53:03 PM »
That's a whole 'nother question.  As the old saying goes, buying gems is easy; selling them is hard -- especially if you demand top dollar.  VV material seems to occupy a niche market.  Some will pay big $$ for it, most people have no idea what it is.  The key I'd think is searching out the specialist markets where you'll find knowledgeable buyers.  Where those are I have no idea at the moment.
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PhilNM

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #11 on: October 22, 2016, 07:45:10 PM »
Thanks. yeah, me neither.
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jerrysg

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #12 on: October 22, 2016, 09:15:32 PM »
Just did a search on Ebay for "Virgin Valley Opalized Wood" and found some rough ranging in price from $16.79/carat for a piece in water to $5.00/carat for a number of different dry pieces. None were as good as your polished cab.

Jerry
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PhilNM

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #13 on: October 23, 2016, 10:02:54 AM »
Thanks. Will discuss prices with my partner. Think I should post them here for sale first?  Would anyone seriously buy any or just want to look?
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55fossil

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Re: Virgin Valley Opalized wood
« Reply #14 on: October 23, 2016, 12:35:27 PM »
     How are you guys defining "stable"? The stone is a beauty and the more wood usually means more stable for VV. But so many people have gotten burned by sellers stating that they had stable VV for sale and it cracked up later. So do you think a month, year or more is adequate dry time to refer to VV as stable?
    And $5 a carat would be too low for stable. I think $5 a carat as is with no guarantees? 
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