DECo vintage sterling JELLY OPAL Dragons breath HUGE mystical brooch

THe story of dragons breath goes way back, but as I recall it was about a stone called a jelly opal that radiated wonderful colors of fire that looked like the breath and fire of the mythical dragon. Dragon's Breath is the name given to a rare and highly collected man-made glass stone and is characterized as fire of the dragon which shines light into the darkness. And this HUGE stone does that! It looks like a lightening storm is inside a pit of fire. THese are not foil back and are original 20's stones. Originally 1880 to 1930 ( Victorian to Art Deco ) this wonderful stone called Jelly Opal art glass, often erroneously called Saphiret,( also referred to as Dragon's Breath or Mexican Fire Opal), was used by the turn of last century Victorian, later Mexican & Native American jewelry makers such as Maisels.There is the brilliant fire of blues,pinks,purples, reds and oranges. When the light hits them the color just shoot all over. I have more photos of these if you want to see them. This huge brooch is hand wrought and each little spiral on the outside is hand done. The brooch measures a whopping 1 1/2" x 1 ( see photo next to a dime)When you hold it up you see there is no back so the color floods thru. fire opals are said to be energizing, giving strength and endurance in stressful times. Other people like to meditate with fire opal, helps get into a meditative state by simply gazing at the incredible colors of this opal. Fire opals are good for business and for money management.This piece is a true period piece that has lovely dark patina and has not been polished to preserve its age. THere is a slight chip on the very end. We offer Layaway on all our pieces regardless of which site it comes from. Please remember that vintage & antique items are not mint, nor are they perfect but they sure are full of old history and charm. Please use photos to make your decisions.