Large opal sells for almost $144,000 at Alaska public sale

JUNEAU, Alaska – A gemstone, billed as one of many largest gem-quality opals ever discovered, was bought for $143,750 at public sale in Alaska on Sunday.

The opal, dubbed the “Americus Australis,” weighs greater than 11,800 carats, in keeping with the public sale home Alaska Premier Auctions & Value determinations. It additionally has an extended historical past.

Most lately, it was stored in a linen closet in a house in Huge Lake, north of Anchorage, by Fred von Brandt, who mines for gold in Alaska and whose household has deep roots within the gem and rock enterprise.

The opal is bigger than a brick and is damaged into two items, which von Brandt mentioned was a follow used a long time in the past to show gem high quality.

Von Brandt mentioned the stone has been in his household for the reason that late Nineteen Fifties, when his grandfather purchased it from an Australian opal vendor named John Altmann.

Von Brandt mentioned the opal for many years was within the care of his father, Man von Brandt, who determined it had been “locked up lengthy sufficient, that it’s time to place it again out on the planet and see what curiosity it may possibly generate.”

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“He entrusted me to determine which path we wished to go to half with the stone,” von Brandt advised The Related Press.

The household, with roots in California, exhibited the stone at gem exhibits for years, till the early Nineteen Eighties, he mentioned. His father then branched out into furnishings and displayed it at his store. Man von Brandt finally moved to Oregon and stored the stone “sort of tucked away” for a few years, von Brandt mentioned.

Von Brandt mentioned he introduced it with him to Alaska over a 12 months in the past as he weighed the most effective strategy to a potential sale. He mentioned he went with Alaska Premier Auctions & Value determinations as a result of he thought it might get extra consideration from the newer firm than a bigger public sale home. The sale is ready for Sunday.

Nick Cline, a associate and appraisal specialist with Alaska Premier Auctions & Value determinations, mentioned the household has documentation surrounding the provenance of the opal. As a part of his analysis, he contacted Fiona Altmann, granddaughter of John Altmann and basic supervisor of Altmann + Cherny in Sydney, Australia.

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Altmann mentioned her grandfather, in his enterprise dealings, made common journeys to Europe and the U.S.

Altmann mentioned when Cline emailed her, she was skeptical; the identify of the stone, particularly, threw her. However she mentioned she began digging and found “one thing with my grandfather’s handwriting with the image of the opal with the phrase ‘Americus Australis.’”

“I with 100% certainty know that their provenance info is 100% correct” as a result of it traces up with info she has, she mentioned.

The public sale home mentioned the stone was found in the identical area in Australia because the opal generally known as the “Olympic Australis,” which weighs 17,000 carats and is on everlasting show in Altmann’s store. The Olympic had been among the many stones that John Altmann and associate Rudi Cherny acquired in 1956, in keeping with Altmann’s firm.

The public sale firm sought a minimal bid of $125,000 throughout Sunday’s public sale. Cline mentioned it’s a “calculated threat,” with the corporate going with what it sees as a conservative strategy in hopes of garnering probably the most consideration. It had focused a gross sales worth of $250,000 to $350,000, Cline mentioned.

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The sale features a smaller piece of the opal that von Brandt mentioned his father minimize off to be worn or displayed.

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This story has been up to date to right that the opal bought for $143,750 based mostly on an up to date determine from the public sale home to incorporate the customer’s premium.

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Related Press journalist Michelle A. Monroe contributed to this report from Phoenix.