THE SNAKE HEAD

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="1d800500dvldtc.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Swordfish Mining:   Virgin Valley Opal</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Swordfish Mining: Virgin Valley Opal"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="black_precious_opal.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BLACK OPALS">BLACK OPALS</A>   |   <A HREF="virgin_valley_precious_opal_mining_claims_from_the_miners_for_sale.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CLAIMS">CLAIMS</A>   |   <A HREF="opal_from_nevada.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PRECIOUS OPAL">PRECIOUS OPAL</A>   |   <A HREF="what_we_do.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WIRE WRAPS, BEADS, JEWELRY">WIRE WRAPS, BEADS, & JEWELRY</A>   |   <A HREF="cut_stones__tops_gemstones_cut_for_years__these_stones_have_all_been_displayed_i.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="GEMSTONES">GEMSTONES</A>   |   <A HREF="opal_twigs.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LIMB CASTS">LIMB CASTS</A>   |   <A HREF="virgin_valley_wood_replacements.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PINE CONES BARK">PINE CONES & BARK</A>   |   <B>THE SNAKE HEAD</B>   |   <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="GOODS">GOODS</A>   |   <A HREF="leah_and_john.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABOUT ME">ABOUT ME</A>   |   <A HREF="picture_album.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SWORDFISH PICS">SWORDFISH PICS</A>   |   <A HREF="the_sheldon.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CHARLES SHELDON NWR">CHARLES SHELDON NWR</A>   |   <A HREF="numbers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ADDRESS">ADDRESS</A>   |   <A HREF="map_to_virgin_valley_fee_digs.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="DIRECTIONS">DIRECTIONS</A>   |   <A HREF="qa.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FAQ">FAQ</A>   |   <A HREF="links_to_friendly_web_pages.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LINKS">LINKS</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="045d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> The Roebling opal in the Smithsonian Museum  Washington, D. C..<IMG SRC="151bdef0.jpg" border=0 width="189" height="239" ALT="Roebling Opal" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> 2665 cts Most  museum mineral displays in the world have Virgin Valley specimens. Countless fine stones have been set in jewelry since the Opal Rush back in 1906.  The Roebling was discovered on the "Rainbow Ridge" Mine.</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> THE SNAKE HEAD</div> <div>      IS THE ONLY PRECIOUS OPAL FOSSIL OF A SNAKE HEAD EVER SEEN. I REPEAT: THIS IS THE ONLY ONE EVER FOUND!</div> <div>      THE precious opal snake head is cast in precious white opal and covered with crystal opal. The head was preserved in glycerin but the body segment is dry and has not crazed over 15 years. This came from a fee dig mine in 1992. That's one half that has been dry for more than long enough to prove it did not need put into glycerin to not craze. This cast is of straight up color white base precious opal with good multicolor play of fire. The outside rind, which was against the matrix and cast the skin, is of an airy contra luz in yellow green red flashes. Non experts don't believe it CAN be real but I have to pry it out of biologists hands. Interested parties please contact me for price.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><IMG SRC="07cca580.png" border=0 width="458" height="344" ALT="Precious opal snake head cast" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></FONT></div> <div>      <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" >A CAT scan was un-conclusive to species as it was shot 90 degrees off optimum. Thanks anyway to the nuclear medicine department at Merle West Hospital in Klamath Falls, Or. for their help with scans. I'm still waiting for an expert to show up out here for a positive ID Certification that does not require me to loan it out for unknown periods of time into bad security situations. I've mediatated with this stone that signifies change.</FONT></div> <div>      The fossil was made with the tip of the chin above the last layer of opalization (belly up).  There is no visible internal structures replaced and the cast is of the surface features only. An expert who was forced to be anonymous by his employers stated it was probably a shovel head snake that were fairly common then and it was a pity the nose was out of the solution and the whiskers were not preserved. He could not see any internal structure in the core under 10x loupe. He was not positive to the species but it was definitely a snake and not a lizard. The scales on the head need to be matched to species.  Snakes can be cast just like a stick and Mrs. Leaky found an agate replaced snake when digging in Africa.</div> <bR> <div>      This is a 3 dimensional fossil cast in precious gemstone. Serious principles and dealers only please. Consignment arrangements by contract. It is an all natural gemstone serpent fossil that is truly ONE OF A KIND. It was in tailings on top of dust in July when found on private property. It is stable in a glycerin dome.</div> <div> <IMG SRC="10297800.png" border=0 width="407" height="384" ALT="gemstone snake" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="Arial" >Bottom</FONT></div> <bR> <div> The serpent, or snake, symbolized knowledge and is used repeatedly in different religions. Do any of you have knowledge of any prophecy or mention of a gemstone snake head? </div> <bR> <div> Note all text and photographs copyrights reserved by John Church.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <div> Republication not for gain is permitted with proper URL credit given.</div> <div>  </div> <div>  <img align=bottom src="http://www.thebook.com/cgi-bin/thebook/Counter1/Count.cgi?ft=0|tr=0|prgb=0;255;0|md=7|dd=B|st=333332|sh=1|df=virginvalleyopal_10_own.dat">  </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>