Old boot opal carving

Australian Black Opal Carving. 

I was chasing the colour in a piece of Lightning Ridge Black Opal rough as this shape started to evolve in my hands. All experienced opal cutters look cut, look cut, look cut because once it is cut it is gone. Many a good piece of opal has literally disappeared before the cutters eyes. 

You can see that I have left a grey piece of opal potch to form the sole of the boot. There is a blue colour bar just above the grey sole before the green blue and then green opal colours starts on the upper portion of the boot. To my artistic eye it looks like an old boot and a colourful old boot at that.

Specifications

This is a miniature opal carving. Overall maximum dimensions are: 

Weight 4.72cts; 

13.4mm long; 

7.9mm wide; 

8.7mm high. 

I have photographed the opal carving boot against a US 1 cent coin (same size as Australian 5 cent coin) for size comparison purposes only. It has been cut using a dermal drill with fine grinding and polishing bits. This is unique and one of a kind.

 I haven't found another boot and I don't expect to. I did find a fox face in a piece of Boulder Opal once but don't seem to be able to make a pair of boots.