The Flame Queen opal was discovered in 1914 at the Bald Hill Workings in Lightning Ridge, Australia. The three partners, Jack Phillips, Walter Bradley and "Irish" Joe Hegarty took over a partially dug claim that was abandoned by a miner who left to fight in World War I. Lightning Ridge was a risky place to speculate for opals. The early miners used picks and shovels, battling fatigue and hunger and desperate to find an opal-rich shaft. Hegarty completed the partially dug tunnel, but when he reached the opal level, the site appeared worthless. The opal-rich clay, usually around 30 feet down the shaft, did not reveal any color, which indicates the presence of gemstones. Once Hagarty reached the clay, he and Bradley tunneled vertically, a dangerous procedure that could result in the collapse of the entire site. At this level, with little ventilation and light, Bradley discovered a "great nobby". Close to 35 feet below the surface, in a tunnel little more that 2 ½ feet wide, he was hoisted up so that he could examine the stone under daylight.

Of the three partners, Bradley was the most skilled lapidary and had the best equipment to cut and polish the rough. It revealed a dazzling red domed center with a greenish blue border. The three men, broke and exhausted from their labor, hungry from scarce food supplies, hastily sold the opal to a gem buyer for 93 pounds.

The Flame Queen weighs 261.03 carats and measures 71.9 x 57.7 x 11.6 mm. The cut and shape are highly unusual and enhance the natural formation of the stone. Under differing lights and angles, the stone reflects numerous combinations of color in a unique and remarkable way. The reverse of this unusual gem bears the imprint of an ancient ginko leaf.


From the Collection of Gloria Manney:

Every curator, dealer and auctioneer who has met Gloria Manney called her 'one of a kind' or said, 'they don’t make ‘em like her anymore.' She was a voracious collector with a style, intelligence, curiosity, courage and point of view all her own.

Along with her husband, Richard Manney, they researched and collected an amazing array of material culture and built entire markets for objects by aiding scholars in their work, including rare books and 18th and 19th century fine and decorative arts. Their collections included the greatest assemblages of American portrait miniatures and American colonial goldsmithing, both now at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their furniture resides at Winterthur, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Art Institute of Chicago.

But above all the objects in their lives, jewelry was Gloria’s first and foremost passion from childhood, especially collecting opals. They were her birthstone, her playthings, and her favorite adornment. No opal passed her by, as she believed every opal needed a home. A magpie by nature, their beauty entranced her. Gloria worked with dealers and auctioneers around the world to find great jewels but especially opals. And the opals found her.