Two Swiss brothers, Eric and Jean-Claude Nydegger, who discovered a new variety of cat’s-eye opal while mining foe beryl in Brazil, have proven that luck, good or bad, has its role in mining gemstones.

            “The business of mining emeralds in Brazil is getting more difficult. We were also having trouble finding emerald of high quality. Then one day while mining for emeralds we discovered this cat’s-eye opal that demonstrated qualities known to beryl in the area,” Jean-Claude said.

            South America is no stranger to opals, with the Mexican Fire opal and Brazil having its own white opals, according to Jean-Claude. The cat’s-eye opal is found in the northeastern state of Bahia in Brazil with most veins found 5-6 meters deep. This may seem like an ideal mining situation, but finding an acceptable vein of cat’s-eye opal is difficult, Jean-Claude said.

            “So far the gemstone is mainly found in green to golden colors. Since about 1990 we have been finding these main colors in three different areas, but only one mining site has been producing the cat’s-eye opal, which is mainly green in color,” Eric said.

As with most new discoveries, the cat’s-eye opal was met with some skepticism. “When it was discovered we came across it in the matrix. We had no idea what it was. People who saw it thought it was everything but an opal, including fossilized wood,” said Jean-Claude.

Jean-Claude, a certified graduate gemologist, said the cat’s eye opal has the similar chemical composition of most opals found throughout the world, but is a close match to its Latin American opal cousin the Mexican fire opal in this regard.

“It took a long time to verify this gemstone. French, Swiss and German labs all examined the cat’s0eye opals, but were not sure what to think of the stone. It does not have the spectral play of colors known to other types of opals, including the Mexican fire opals and other light colored opals found in the region.

“The cat’s-eye inclusion, although it is well known in the beryl found here, has not yet been found in opals until now. Most of the veins we are finding are green in color, which made labs think it was beryl,” Jean-Claude said.

After much testing, gemological examination and extensive mining to market the gemstone, the new opal find was ready for its big debut as the Imperial Opal. The new variety of opal, is mainly being cut into cabochons. With polished goods in hand, the Nydegget brothers began their marketing efforts at the February Tucson trade fair.

“People were amazed it was opal when they first saw it at the Tucson show. Those who stopped at our booth were usually buying a sample because it’s not an expensive stone. Americans, who are always looking for something different, were very receptive to it.

“For the Japanese, all they needed to hear was that it was opal and they would buy it. The Europeans were the skeptical ones, but some bought stones-they were probably collectors,” Eric said.

The next stop for the cat’s-eye opal was Bangkok and then on to the September Hong Kong Jewelry & Watch Fair. “We are looking for a base in Asia, quite possibly it will be located in Hong Kong or Bangkok. It is our impression that Asia could be a major market for this stone. Asians seem to love the color and mysticism of opals,” Eric said.

Brazil’s state o Bahia is the only known source of cat’s-eye opal to date, said Jean-Claude. If marketing efforts are a success, the Imperial Opal has the potential to be more than a collector’s stone.