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The famous Virgin Rainbow Black Opal is for sale here!
"The Black Prince"
‘The Black Prince', originally known as ‘Harlequin Prince', was found in 1915 at Phone Line by Urwin and Brown.
Perhaps the least significant of the four notable stones from the same claim (Black Prince, Pride of Australia, Flamingo, Empress of Australia), this gem weighed 181 carats and displayed a flag pattern one side and the other was red. There was a sand hole in the face.
This black opal was acquired in England by a wealthy American serviceman, and later donated to the New York Museum of Natural History. Later ‘Prince' became part of the collection at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Los Angeles, and was stolen at the same time as ‘Pride of Australia'.
"Flamingo"
‘Flamingo' was the largest of the four notable stones in the Phone Line patch, weighing over a quarter of a pound at 800 carats!
This black opal plus ‘Black Prince', ‘Pride of Australia' and ‘Empress' were the ones for which Sherman paid Urwin and Brown £2000 in about 1920. This was the most ever paid to that date for four black opals. Ernie's sister Bertha named the stones.
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