#34 • Americus Australis; 11,855.28 ct. Australian Opal

Part of February Premier Live-Online Auction (live auction by Alaska Premier Auctions & Appraisals)

High bid $125,000.00

Status: Sold

Category: Fossils, Gems & Mineral Specimens

We are extremely honored to offer Americus Australis for your bidding consideration. Weighing 11,855.28 carats and measuring approximately 9" x 3.25" x 4" tall, it is easily in the top 5 largest gem-quality opal specimens in documented existence. The specimen was found in August of 1956 in the Eight Mile opal field of Coober Pedy, South Australia. It was purchased by Rudi Cherny & John Altmann, partners of Altmann & Cherny, formerly the Australian Gem Trading Company, within the same parcel as the world's largest known gem-quality opal, the Olympic Australis. According to family history, the specimen was initially destined for the Smithsonian but was aggressively pursued and purchased by a family of longtime opal dealers, the Von Brandt's, in 1957 directly from Mr. John Altmann. It was displayed by their son. Guy "Noah" Von Brandt at over 400 gem and mineral shows through 1981, when it returned to the family vault and this is the first public appearance since. The specimen is believed to be identical in quality to the legendary 17,000 carat Olympic Australis housed within Altmann & Cherny private collection, which was most recently valued several years ago at $2,500,000 AUD ($1,800,000 USD). This specimen, as was the commonplace practice at the time, was broken in half upon discovery to verify quality, the same practice used for the Olympic Australis, and later had a single 113.50 carat stone cut, intended to be worn as a pendant by the final owner, allowing them to always carry a piece of the specimen with them. It is widely accepted that stones of this nature are still considered “whole”, and the 113.50 carat stone is also included in the total weight of the specimen.  Provenance Notes: The specimen is accompanied by a binder documenting the history of the stone, photographs of pertinent information from this binder are included within the imagery. Notable highlights include a mention of the Americus Australis within an October 1975 edition of the Lapidary Journal discussing the Olympic Australis, and a featured "Facets" article within the lapidary journal solely discussing the Americus Australis from the June 1995 edition of the Lapidary Journal. *Third-Party affiliates limit the number of images provided, all of these documents and additional high-quality imagery are readily available to prospective bidders. While beautiful, none of these photos truly do the specimen justice and previews are available by appointment.