Category: Intermediate

The Opal Inlay Ring is a style of ring where the opal flows along the curvature of the band, providing a sleek, smooth look.

This has become a popular style of ring due to its simple, yet effective appeal, however, there are a few attributes to this setting that you should be aware of before purchasing. 

Opal Inlay Rings feature slivers of light opal (generally from Coober Pedy, South Australia), that are glued in to small cut-aways or channels in the gold/silver band. The sections underneath the opal have been painted or coated in either black paint or black resin to provide a dark backing to the light opal slivers, thus giving the opal the appearance of Black Opal (the rarest of the Australian Opals).  Once the opal pieces are glued into the band, they are then polished down to flow with the curves of the ring.

The achieved look is definitely appealing, however due to the thickness of the opal slivers being only 1mm to 1.5mm, and with them only being glued into the setting, it is highly advisable that these rings should not be worn frequently.

If the ring is knocked/bumped against hard surfaces, due to the opal being considerably thin (and only a hardness of 6.5/10 on the Mohs scale – on par with glass), cracking/fracturing can and most likely will occur. 

Frequent immersion in moisture for inlay rings can also create issues with the adhesive breaking down. This leads to the layer of opal splintering away gradually.

In both cases, the inlay ring will need to be sent for repair, and replace the inlaid opal slice.

Because of this, Opal Inlay Rings are NOT suitable for engagement rings or wedding bands.

What we recommend, instead, is to bezel-set/rub-over a solid opal.  While the opal doesn’t completely follow the curvature of the band, using the bezel-set/rub-over technique (where the gold lip is folded over the opal to keep it safely contained) will still provide a sleek, simple and effective look for the ring, and provide a piece of jewellery that can be worn in everyday situations.

Taking care of opals is essential to maintain their natural beauty and luster. Here are simple tips to keep your opals looking stunning:

1. Gentle Cleaning: Use a soft, damp cloth to gently wipe away any dust or dirt on your opal. Avoid abrasive materials or harsh chemicals that can damage the surface.
2. Avoid Exposure: Opals are sensitive to extreme temperatures, so it’s best to avoid exposing them to direct sunlight or extreme heat for prolonged periods. Additionally, keep them away from harsh chemicals like household cleaners.
3. Remove Before Activities: While opals are relatively durable, it’s wise to remove opal jewellery before engaging in activities that could subject them to knicks or scratches. This includes activities like gardening or heavy-duty chores.
4. Proper Storage: When not wearing your opals, store them in a soft pouch or a jewellery box with compartments to prevent them from scratching against other pieces. Avoid tossing opal jewellery into a common jewellery box where they can come into contact with harder stones.
5. Avoid Immersion: Opals should not be immersed in water for extended periods, as this can lead to discoloration or damage. Remove opal rings before swimming or doing dishes to preserve their integrity.
6. Regular Inspections: Periodically inspect your opal jewellery for loose settings or signs of wear. If you notice anything unusual, take it to a professional jeweller for assessment and potential repairs.

By following these simple care tips, you can ensure that your opals remain vibrant and beautiful for years to come. Opals are not just gemstones; they are pieces of nature’s art, and proper care will help preserve their unique charm and colours.

We also have a informative read up on how to take care of your opals, feel free to read more.

Opal rings are special—they’re not just jewellery; they’re like tiny pieces of nature’s art. The beautiful colours inside these gems tell stories of elegance, uniqueness, and timeless beauty. It doesn’t matter if you know a lot about gemstones or if you’re buying jewellery for the first time; exploring the world of opal rings is like going on an adventure.

Opal rings come in different types, each with its own charm:

• White Opals: These are classic and timeless. They have a light colour that’s a perfect background for the amazing colours that dance on the gem.
• Black Opals: These are rare and luxurious. They have a dark colour that makes the vivid colours on the gem’s surface even more intense.
• Boulder Opals: These are earthy and captivating. Boulder opals in rings show off unique colours against their natural ironstone host rock.
• Crystal Opals: These are elegant and see-through. Crystal opals in rings let the colours shine through a clear or slightly see-through body.

Choosing Your Opal Ring

Picking the perfect opal ring is easy when you think about a few things:

• Setting Styles: Do you like gold or silver? Gold makes the ring warm, while silver gives it a more modern look.
• Cut Choices: Opals can be cut in different ways. Choose a cut that matches your style, whether it’s a classic oval, round, or something more unique.
• Opal Varieties: Every opal is a bit different. Get to know the type in your ring, and you’ll appreciate the special charm each one has.
  
  Shop with confidence – Browse our wide range now!

Taking Care of Your Opal Ring

Ensure your opal ring retains its allure with these care tips:

• Avoid Harsh Chemicals: Steer clear of strong chemicals to preserve the opal’s lustre.
• Protect During Activities: Remove the ring before engaging in activities that may cause impacts or scratches.
• Gentle Cleaning: Use a soft cloth to clean your opal ring gently.

Read our guide to taking care of your Opal Rings

From selecting the right opal variety to understanding cuts and settings, each element contributes to the timeless charm of these rings. From 50+ years of knowledge and experience Opals Down Under is lucky enough to have a unique range of opals rings, so be sure to check them out online here.

We also have an extensive range of online posts that provide more in-depth knowledge about the world of opals!

Feel free to take a look.

“Aurora Australis” (picture and information courtesy of Altmann & Cherny)

The “Aurora Australis” was found in 1938 at Lightning Ridge and is considered the world’s most valuable black opal. The oval, cut and polished stone has a harlequin pattern with dominant red, green and blue colors against a black background. It weighs 180 cts. and is 3 inches by 1.8 inches. The rarity of the opal comes from its size and strong, vibrant colour play. It weighs 180 carats and its dimensions are 3 inches x 1.8 inches. Dug from an old sea-bed it has the distinctive impression of a star fish on its back. It was valued at AUD$1,000,000 in 2005.

The Aurora is the first large, fine, Australian opal mentioned in literature. Charlie Dunstan had found another large opal previously, but its blue-green colour play was not considered valuable at the time – although the stone weighed about 12 ounces (close to 1860 carats). At a depth of approximately six metres, Charlie found the brilliant gem. This treasure was rumored to have brought Dunstan 100 pounds. Altmann & Cherny purchased the opal in a semi-rough state (a rub).  They cut and polished the opal into its oval shape, and realising what a true gem they had, they named it the “Aurora Australis” after the bright southern lights in the night sky.

“Fire Queen”

In November 1906, Charlie Dunstan found “Dunstan’s Stone” (Later renamed to “The Fire Queen”), at the Angledool Diggings. She weighed in at about 6.5 oz. or nearly 900 carats. She was the largest nobby to date – alive with colour – “truly a marvelous gem, too beautiful for words!”

After selling the stone for a paltry £100 to an unknown buyer on a trip to Angledool, the story goes that Dunstan got drunk and “lost” two other big stones. In November 1910, Charlie Dunstan was found dead in his hut from a gunshot wound to the head. The verdict was that he had committed suicide.

After being originally sold for a mere £100, the stone changed hands several times, each new buyer finding it difficult to sell as there was hardly any market for big black opals in those days. By 1928, however, it was in the Chicago Museum, valued at £40,000 after being renamed “The Fire Queen”. In the 1940’s, it was then resold to J.D. Rockefeller for £75,000, who donated her to his prestigious family collection.

“The Black Prince”

‘The Black Prince’, originally known as ‘Harlequin Prince’, was found in 1915 at Phone Line by Urwin and Brown. Perhaps the least significant of the four notable stones from the same claim, this gem weighed 181 carats and displayed a flag pattern one side and the other was red. There was a sand hole in the face.

This black opal was acquired in England by a wealthy American serviceman, and later donated to the New York Museum of Natural History. Later ‘Prince’ became part of the collection at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Los Angeles, and was stolen at the same time as ‘Pride of Australia’. ‘Flamingo’ was the largest of the four notable stones in the Phone Line patch, weighing over a quarter of a pound at 800 carats! This black opal plus ‘Black Prince’, ‘Pride of Australia’ and ‘Empress’ were the ones for which Sherman paid Urwin and Brown £2000 in about 1920. This was the most ever paid to that date for four black opals. Ernie’s sister Bertha named the stones.

“Pride of Australia / Red Emperor”

(picture from www.resources.nsw.gov.au)

‘Pride of Australia’, also known as ‘Red Emperor’, was found in 1915 by Tom Urwin and Snowy Brown at Phone Line (off Fred Reece Way). The Pride of Australia is shaped like the continent. The 2″ x 3″ opal has black and blue veins interlaced with brilliant red streaks. By 1954, it had toured at least five World Fairs as “the greatest opal of Australia, and therefore the greatest opal in the world.”

This double-sided gem cut to a 225 carat stone that just fit into a tobacco tin. There were two distinct colour bars. The one on the back was much lighter and almost harlequin, totally different to the main bar of dark, rich flashes of colour. Ernie Sherman bought ‘Pride’ plus another three stones from the miners for £2000 around 1920. It was the highest price ever paid for four black opals. The ‘Pride of Australia’ was valued in 1931 at £2000 on its own, and was sold in the 1950s from the Percy Marks Collection, Sydney.

Dr. Eaton examines his “Pride of Australia” opal
with the Collector of Customs while guards look on.

In 1954, Dr. Hubert Eaton was the President and Founder of the world-famous Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, CA, and owner of one of the most important gem collections in the United States. Percy Marks, Ltd., located in Sydney, Australia, was home to the opal when Dr. Eaton was craving for his collection. This firm was supposed to have the greatest opal collection in the world. The Pride of Australia was sitting in the display window when Dr. Eaton arrived.

To Dr. Eaton’s dismay, the opal was not for sale. Dr. Eaton chose several other opals and told the firm that he wanted all of these opals plus the Pride — if the Pride wasn’t thrown in with the deal, then there would be no deal. Dr. Eaton wrote in a letter to his assistant, “Well, to cut a long story short, after quite a time, it ended by my going to the bank and getting a draft payable to Percy Marks, Ltd.”

Some say the price was £150,000, but Greg Sherman reckons not more than £50,000 was paid for this mostly green-shot-with-orange black opal. ‘Pride’ was later stolen from the new owner, Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Los Angeles.

“Empress of Australia”

‘Empress of Australia’ was mined in 1915 from the same patch on Phone Line as ‘Pride of Australia’ by Urwin and Brown. First known as ‘Kaleidoscope Queen’, then ‘Tartan Queen’, this stone measured 3 x 2 3/4 x 2 1/4 inches in the rough.

The stone was shaped out and polished to reveal the glowing patches of red to best advantage, probably weighing 500 carats. Later, down at the pub, this, the most colourful black opal from the claim, slipped through the fingers of a local admirer, and fell to the floor, breaking into two pieces. Two almost matching stones were cut out of the first piece, each measuring 2 inches long and weighing 20 carats. Ernie Sherman’s daughter designed a beautiful pendant for one half. The second piece of ‘Empress’, measuring 1 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches and weighing 50-60 carats, was mounted in a gleaming necklet of brilliants.

“The Flame Queen”

The ‘Flame Queen’ was mined on Bald Hill in 1918, not far from where Dunstan mined ‘Queen of the Earth’ in 1906. 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 colour, which indicates the presence of gemstones. Once Hegarty 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 2½ feet wide, he was hoisted up so that he could examine the stone under daylight.

The story goes that Walter Bradley took a “bite” at “a great black nobby” with his steel snips… and revealed the brilliance of opal within. They were offered £7 in the rough for the stone, which they refused. Of the three partners, Bradley was the most skilled lapidarist 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.

Phillips, Bradley & Hegarty were the lucky miners, who shared the £93 that Ernie Sherman gave them for this collector’s piece. Cutting it would have spoilt the unique pattern. John Landers reported that the architecture “made this stone!” A black nobby as big as the palm of a hand, ‘Flame’ weighed 253 carats. An oval, 2 3/4 inches x 2 1/3 inches, with a dome that a half-crown would not cover, displayed a broad bronze-red flash. The ½-inch dome was framed with a high emerald green 3/8-inch band (then electric blue from another angle). Thus, the appearance of a ‘Poached Egg’, the rather unflattering nickname that was given to ‘Flame’.

One writer described the stone thus: “Suppose you put an egg in a frying pan. Directly the egg hits the pan, the white spreads out, leaving the yolk standing in the centre. This is what the exquisite stone looks like, only the yolk is a striking blood-red, raised above and surrounded by beautiful blue-green opal.” 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.

A Brisbane jeweller submitted the stone to the Queensland Geological Survey. It was established that traces of ginko, a fossil plant (Chinese maiden hair fern), occurring in Jurassic rocks but not in any opal deposits, were impressed on the back of the gem. The asking price for this unusual opal has continued to climb over the years with each change of hands. In 1925, an offer of £2000 was made. In 1948, the stone was valued at £5000. In 1973, $US 32,000 was paid. In 1980, ‘Flame’ was for sale again at a million dollars! As of 1992, the stone was back home in Australia. In 2003, ‘Flame’ was put up for auction at Christie’s in New York but was passed in for an undisclosed reserve. (Estimated at US$250,000) Current photos confirm the beauty of this gem and no sign of crazing after 86 years of to-ing and fro-ing.

“Olympic Australis”

(picture and information courtesy of Altmann & Cherny)

The “Olympic Australis” is reported to be the largest and most valuable gem opal ever found. It was found in 1956 at the famous “Eight Mile” opal field in Coober Pedy, South Australia. A miner working his claim found the opal at a depth of 30 feet. It was named in honor of the Olympic Games, which were being held in Melbourne at the time. This extraordinary opal consists of 99% gem opal with an even colour throughout the stone, and is one of the largest and most valuable opals ever found. The balance of 1% is the remaining soil still adhering to the stone. It weighs 17,000 carats (3450 grams) and is 11 inches long (280 mm), with a height of 4¾ inches (120 mm) and a width of 4½ inches (115 mm).  It was valued at AUD$2,500,000 in 2005. Due to the purity of the opal it is anticipated that upwards of 7000 carats could be cut from the piece.  However owing to it’s uniqueness, the opal will remain exactly as found.

Halley’s Comet

“Halley’s Comet”, is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest uncut black opal nobby. The massive stone was found by a group of opal miners on the Leaning Tree Claim at Lightning Ridge known as “The Lunatic Hill Syndicate” about the time “Halleys Comet” appeared in Australian skies.

It weighs 1982.5 carats and measures 100 x 66 x 63 mm, or 4 x 2-5/8 x 2-1/2 in. Halley’s Comet was for sale in 2006 for AUD $1.2 million. The gem has a thick gem quality green and green/orange colour bar and is the largest gem nobby to be found at Lightning Ridge to date.

“Butterfly Stone / The Red Admiral”

The Red Admiral’ or ‘Butterfly Stone’ was discovered during World War I on the ‘Phone Line’ field. Reported to be 51 carats, the stone is of extraordinary beauty, with a predominant red pattern equally visible from all angles. It wasn’t until 1920 that the stone was given the name “Butterfly” because of its resemblance to the British butterfly, the Red Admiral.

Len Cram says of this stone, “If you turn this magnificent gem on its side it changes from a butterfly to a full-length picture of a Spanish dancer in traditional broad ruffled dress, perfect in pose and movement, aflame with fiery lights.”

It passed through a number of hands, including Percy Marks and a Queensland grazier, before being purchased by the late Mrs Drysdale of Sydney. As of 2004, it was back in the care of Percy Marks & Co.

Other Stones

Other fine named gem opals from Lightning Ridge include Red Flamingo (1914), Queen of Alexander (1918), Harlequin Flame (1919), Grawin Queen (1926), Sunset Queen (1928), Light of the World (1928), Pandora (1928), Queen of Australia (1931), and Rainbow Stone (1933).

Shrouded in mystery, the ‘Hope Opal’ rests in obscurity compared to its famous collection cousin, the Hope Diamond. Also called the ‘Aztec Sun God Opal’, the 35 carat transparent blue gem with play-of-colour, features a carved human face surrounded by sun rays. Assumed to be Mexican when catalogued in 1839, the opal’s origin remains unknown.

September 2003 saw the discovery of ‘The Virgin Rainbow’ (pictured above), a 63.3mm Black Crystal Opal Belemnite Fossil in a ‘pipe’ shape, featuring gem quality colour, weighing in at 72.65 carats. The specimen was discovered at Three Mile Fields in Coober Pedy, in South Australia by Johnny Dunstan.

Sources:
The Black Opal Advocate
“Australian Precious Opal”, Andrew Cody, 1991.
Lapidary Journal

Shop our range of ready- made opal engagement rings

FAQ: Where can I find an opal engagement ring? Are opals suitable for engagement rings? Where can I find opal wedding rings? Does Opals Down Under custom make opal engagement rings?

Australian opals, also known as “The Queen of Gems” are one of the most beautiful gemstones in the world. Opals display all the colours of the rainbow in an amazing moving diffracted colour pattern known as the play of colour.

This makes opals very unique and opal engagement rings are becoming increasingly popular amongst people looking for a different and original engagement ring a little different to the standard diamond ring. Opals, unlike diamonds, are genuinely rare – as fast as opals are mined, they are sold. Diamonds are in fact very common, yet prices are kept high by vast stockpiling and strict supply control.

Unlike diamonds however (which are incredibly hard 10/10 on the Mohs scale), opals are a relatively soft gemstone. Opals rank at a 6 1/2 on Mohs scale of mineral hardness. To put this into perspective, opals are just a little harder than glass. This is the most important thing to be aware of when considering an opal for an engagement ring. It is possible by mistreating an opal or treating it roughly, to damage or break the stone. This does not mean opals will break at the drop of a hat, it just means you need to treat them carefully to ensure you enjoy your opal for a lifetime!

When our customers tell us they are looking for an opal engagement ring, we always ensure they are aware of this factor before they start their search. There are a number of ways you can ensure the maximum security and durability of your opal, and you should consult the advice of experts before going ahead and buying an opal ring.

Opals Down Under has made hundreds of customised opal rings, and we’ve got engagement rings down to a fine art. Here are our tips to help you get the best out of your opal ring:

Tips for buying an opal engagement ring

• Pick a rub-over (bezel) setting. We strongly advice this for opal engagement rings, as rub-over settings provide much better protection and security for your opal. A thin bezel of gold follows and covers the edge of the stone, protecting damage from impact, and ensuring the stone stays securely in place. Claw settings are less secure and provide less protection, which means your opal is more vulnerable. 
• Boulder opal is harder wearing. Due to its very hard natural ironstone backing, Queensland boulder opal is more robust and has an advantage over other types of Australian opal. For an opal engagement ring, boulder opal is ideal. Black opals, crystal opals, and white opals are also suitable, but do not have the same hard-wearing quality as boulder opals. Due to their unusual ‘free’ shape, boulder opals also lend themselves to more creativity in design.
• Select a stone with a low cabochon (i.e. dome on top). Opals with a high cabochon are more exposed and vulnerable to impact damage, so if your stone has a flat or low cabochon top, it’s less likely to be damaged.

In summary, opals can make a beautiful lasting engagement ring if you make the right choice and treat the opal with respect. We have made many opal engagement rings for our clients over the years – simply email us your ideas and we’ll promptly draw up some designs for you.

The cost of your opal ring depends on the type of stone and setting you choose, as well as the size of your finger. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to talk about having an opal engagement ring custom designed, we’d be more than happy to help. In the meantime, feel free to learn more about opals, or check out our current stock of opal rings.

FAQ: Are opals suitable for mens’ rings? Do men wear opal rings? Are opals strong enough for a man’s opal ring?

Opals are one of the world’s most amazing gemstones, and men all over the world are taking advantage of opal’s striking colours to create a unique, masculine piece of opal jewellery. However, it’s important to do your research if you’re thinking about buying a mens’ opal ring or having a custom opal ring made. Since men are usually much harder on their jewellery, mens’ rings usually need to be much harder wearing than ladies’ rings.

Since opal is not as hard as diamonds (see caring for opal for more details), you do need to take precautions to ensure your opal doesn’t get damaged. Opals rank at about 6 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, whereas diamonds rank at 10. To put this into perspective, opals are about the same hardness as glass. There are a number of ways you can ensure the maximum security and durability of your opal. Much like opal engagement rings, you should consult the advice of experts before going ahead and buying an opal ring.

Opals Down Under has made hundreds of customised opal rings, and we’ve got mens’ rings down to a fine art. Here are our tips to help you get the best out of your opal ring:

Tips for buying a man’s opal ring

• Pick a rub-over (bezel) setting. This is pretty much a “must” for mens’ opal rings, as rub-over settings provide much better protection and security for your opal (See the above photo for an example). A thin bezel of gold follows and covers the edge of the stone, protecting damage from impact, and ensuring the stone stays securely in place. Claw settings are much less secure, provide little protection, and can wear down over time – especially in rings.
• Boulder opal is harder wearing. Due to its very hard natural ironstone backing, Queensland boulder opal is more robust and has an advantage over other types of opal. For a man’s opal ring, boulder opal is ideal. Black opals, crystal opals, and white opals are also suitable, but do not have the same hard-wearing quality as boulder opals. Due to their unusual ‘free’ shape, boulder opals also lend themselves to more creativity in design.
• Select a stone with a low cabochon (i.e. dome on top). Opals with a high cabochon are more exposed and vulnerable to impact damage, so if your stone has a flat or low cabochon top, it’s less likely to be damaged.
• 14k gold is harder than 18k gold, so you might like to consider having your ring made in 14k gold. (It’s also cheaper). When it comes to mens’ opal rings, the harder wearing the stone and setting, the better.

Due to the varying sizes of mens’ fingers, we rarely stock mens’ opal rings in-store (one currently in stock), but rather prefer to have rings custom made to suit the client. Simply email us your ideas and we’ll promptly draw up some designs for you.

The cost of your opal ring depends on the type of stone and setting you choose, as well as the size of your finger. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to talk about having a man’s opal ring custom designed, we’d be more than happy to help. In the meantime, feel free to learn more about opals, or check out our current stock of opal rings.

FAQ Where are the opal fields in Australia? Where are opals mined? Where is opal mined? Where is opal mining done? When was opal discovered?

Although there are lots of opal mining towns in Australia there are four which have become household names – Coober Pedy, Andamooka, White Cliffs and Lightning Ridge. They are wild and unruly places surrounded by a moonscape of mullock humps where people fight against horrendous climate conditions in their search for precious gemstones. They are, as one observer noted, ‘monuments to the tenacious optimism of all mankind’.

(Opal mines are indicated by an orange dot)

Currently, Australia produces around 95% of the world’s opal for use in the jewellery industry. Other countries in which opal is found in small amounts include Honduras, Mexico, former Czechoslovakia, and Brazil, however these types of opal often differ in appearance. Australian opal is considered the finest in the world.

The Australian export market for opals in 1998-99 was estimated at $60 million compared with $69 million in 1997-98 and $85 million in 1996-97. Between 2000 and 2005, production figures for uncut gems varied between $100 million and $200 million.

Australia’s Opal fields lie in the three states of Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia, along the site of the ancient ‘Great Inland Sea’, or ‘Great Artesian Basin’. White, or ‘Milky’ opal, is found in South Australia, Black opal is found in Lightning Ridge, NSW, and Boulder opal is found in Queensland. The best time to visit the opal fields is April to September. Summer should be avoided due to the high temperatures and possible heavy rains making road access impossible in some areas.

New South Wales (NSW) – The Home of Black Opal

New South Wales produces the largest proportion of Australian opal in terms of value. Lightning Ridge is famous for producing black opal, the darkest and most valuable form of opal. Read more >

Lightning Ridge, New South Wales

The Lightning Ridge opal mining fields are synonymous with world famous gem quality black opals. Unlike ordinary opals the black opal has carbon and iron oxide trace elements in it, producing the most sought-after opal in the world.

• Read more about the Lightning Ridge opal mining fields

White Cliffs, New South Wales

White Cliffs, situated in north western New South Wales, produces predominantly white or crystal opal in the form of ‘seam opal’ (i.e. opal that forms in horizontal seams in the ground as opposed to small nuggets, or ‘nobbies’.) White Cliffs is also notable for producing ‘opal pineapples’, a strangely shaped opal fossil in the shape of a mineral crystal. These rare fossils are formed when a mineral crystal of glauberite (or ikalite) is first replaced by calcite and then opalised.

• Read more about the White Cliffs opal mining fields

Queensland (QLD) – Boulder Opal Country

Queensland produces boulder opal, an unique type of opal which is found attached to a host rock, ironstone. Boulder opal is unique to Queensland, and occurs in deposits in weathered sedimentary Cretaceous rocks in the west of the state. Read more >

Quilpie, Queensland

Looking for colour? In these parts there’s plenty of it, to be found both in the stories relating to the early settlement of the region and also that ‘colour’ which is sought from beneath the surface of the bush earth. Quilpie is best known as an opal town. It is often referred to as the home of the ‘Boulder Opal’ as the area is the largest producer of this type of opal in the world.

• Read more about the Quilpie opal mining fields

Winton, Queensland

Winton is in the centre of Matilda Country, a diverse region in which vast mitchell grass plains are broken by magnificent coloured gorges, ridges and jump-ups. Visitors to the region will be amazed by the vastness of the plains and the undulating nature of the landscape. There is a wide variety of animal and bird life in the area, generally best seen around dusk and dawn on minor roads and tracks.

• Read more about the Winton opal mining fields

Opalton, Queensland

The Opalton Field, also called the Fermoy Field was one of the largest and most extensively worked opal deposits in Queensland. It is a good example of typical opal country in western Queensland and offers the visitor the opportunity to experience first hand the remoteness and harsh conditions endured by the opal miners.

• Read more about the Opalton opal mining fields

Yowah, Queensland

The Yowah opal field is the southern-most opal mining centre of western Queensland. A feature of the Yowah field is the occurrence of precious opal in siliceous ironstone nodules generally referred to as “Yowah Nuts”.

• Read more about the Yowah opal mining fields

South Australia – The White Opal Fields

South Australia has four active opal mining fields, Andamooka, Coober Pedy, Lambina and Mintabie. South Australia is largest producer of opal in terms of volume, and produces the white opal or ‘milky’ type of opal. Read more >

Coober Pedy, South Australia

Coober Pedy produces the bulk of the world’s white opal. The opal mining fields of Coober Pedy lie in the outback of South Australia, Stuart Range, 750 km north of Adelaide. Many of the locals in Coober Pedy prefer to live underground in dugouts where it is cool in summer and warm in winter.

• Read more about the Coober Pedy opal mining fields

Andamooka, South Australia

Situated 520 km north of Adelaide, Andamooka miners work over an area of about 52 square kilometres on the Arcoona plateau in shafts, large bore-holes, open-cut excavations and small tunnels.

• Read more about the Andamooka opal mining fields

Mintabie, South Australia

A well sinker, named Larry O’Toole, is credited with finding the first opal in Mintabie in the 1920’s. Mintabie is the newest opal field, discovered in the 1920’s, but was not aggressively worked until 1978, when good opal began to be found. Mintabie is situated 180km south of the Northern Territory border, and approx. 300km north of Coober Pedy.

• Read more about the Mintabie opal mining fields

Lambina, South Australia

Old miners claim that opal was first discovered at Lambina during the depression years of the early 1930’s. A minor rush in the late 1980’s occurred following discoveries by some miners at Seven Waterholes diggings.

• Read more about the Lambina opal mining fields

The home of Australian Black Opal

FAQ Where are the opal fields in Australia? Where are black opals mined? Where are the Lightning Ridge opal fields?

New South Wales produces the largest proportion of Australian opal in terms of value. Lightning Ridge is famous for producing black opal, the darkest and most valuable form of opal. White Cliffs is known for seam opal which is usually white (milk) opal or crystal opal.

Lightning Ridge opal fields

The Lightning Ridge opal mining fields are synonymous with world famous gem quality black opals. Unlike ordinary opals the black opal has carbon and iron oxide trace elements in it, producing the most sought-after opal in the world.

Legend has it that the name “Lightning Ridge” was coined after a shepherd, his dog, and six hundred sheep were killed during a fierce electrical storm, while sheltering in a low ridge in the area.

Situated in Northern New South Wales 768km from Sydney, the Ridge is home to an estimated permanent population of about 3000 who live in the town and work either servicing the miners or digging for the stones – particularly the rare black opals which are the true treasures of the district.

Population estimates for the town have proved difficult due to the transient nature of many of its inhabitants. In 2001 it had 1,826 persons, including 344 indigenous persons (18.8%) and 1,304 persons born in Australia (71.4%). The population is said to be highly variable as transient miners come and go over time.

There is an official population indicator sign on the highway as you enter the town that says, Lightning Ridge — population?. Prior to the 2004 Public Enquiry into the functioning of Walgett Shire Council, it worked on the basis that there were about 7,000 people in the town, but the enquiry found that this estimate was given no support by the 2001 census and contrasted with the 1,109 people who voted in the town at the local government elections in 2004.

Geology

Lightning Ridge lies in a large geological feature called the Surat Basin, which is part of the vast Great Australian Basin. The Great Australian Basin covers 1.7 million square kilometres of eastern Australia. It was formed when the sediments of the Basin lay at the bottom of a large inland sea. It is these sediments that later hosted the formation of precious opal.

The sedimentary host rocks are essentially horizontal. This is because they were deposited on the floor of the inland sea and have not been deformed. The rocks which host the opal at Lightning Ridge were deposited in shallow water near the edge of the Basin, probably in an estuary.

Overlying the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks are sandstones and conglomerates that were deposited by streams and rivers in the Tertiary period, about 15 million years ago. Many of these younger rocks have hardened to form silcrete and are often quarried for road materials.

Most opal at the Ridge is found between 6 and 18 metres from the surface – not so deep that they are out of the reach of smaller miners, but deep enough to make their mining hard work.

History

There is an Aboriginal explanation for the opals discovered in the Lightning Ridge area. According to legend, a huge wheel of fire fell to earth and sprayed the countryside with brilliant coloured stones.

Opal was first discovered at Lightning Ridge in the late 1880s, with the first shaft being put down around 1901 or 1902 by Jack Murray, a boundary rider who lived on a property nearby.

Some time later, a miner from Bathurst named Charlie Nettleton arrived and began sinking shafts. Nettleton had been an opal miner at White Cliffs but his luck and money ran out and he moved to Queensland. Convinced that there were more opals across the border he returned to New South Wales and started seriously prospecting on a hill, later known as Nettleton’s Hill, on Angledool Station. This was to become the site of Lightning Ridge.

The Lands Department later gazetted it as Warrangulla and it was known as that until World War 1 when it reverted to its original name. It was he who in 1903 sold the first parcel of gems from the field, receiving only $30, not even a fiftieth of the price that could have been obtained only five years later.

A number of famous stones have been found at Lightning Ridge, including the 822g ‘Big Ben’ and the ‘Flame Queen’ which was sold for £80 because the miner hadn’t eaten a proper meal for three weeks.

Tourism

Since opal was first discovered, Lightning Ridge has become synonymous with opal mining in Australia, and hence a very interesting place to visit. (Particularly during the annual goat races). Lighting Ridge offers a true vision of gritty life in the Australian outback, and the town’s mineral water spa baths (artesian bore) are great for relaxation.

The Ridge sees over 90,000 visitors per year, either fossicking for fun, looking for their fortune, or to see what an outback mining town is really like. This influx of tourists means that this once rough and ready town now boasts a number of good quality motels, an endless array of souvenir and gift shops, some good restaurants, and a veneer of civilisation.

Lightning Ridge still has a diverse range of native wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, echidnas, possums and a remarkable range of reptiles. The town is also a haven for rare Australian birds and you can get up close and personal with a number of fascinating animals.

The township and the lure of the black opal have been neatly summed up in Laurie Hudson’s poem:

There’s a sleepy little township, out beyond the western plains,
Lightning Ridge, the town of opal, where there’s heat and scanty rains.

The location is not scenic, just rough ridges all around
Nature sired her scenes of beauty, in black opal, underground.

If you’ve never seen black opal, you have missed a splendid sight,
Like quicksilver gaily coloured, slipped through the shades of night.

Though you’ve roamed the whole world over, seen most all there is to see,
There are scenes you’ve never dreamed of, in the stone of mystery.

Lightning Ridge boasts a number of social and sporting facilities, including a golf course, pistol club and archery club. The town’s Opal Festival is held in the September-October NSW school holidays. Other annual events are the Great Goat Race at Easter and the Opal and Gem Expo in July.

White Cliffs opal fields

White Cliffs, situated in north western New South Wales, was Australia’s first viable commercial opal mining field. For about thirty-five years this field was the only major producer of opal for the world’s markets – the last year of the 19th century (1899) saw the White Cliffs opal field become the largest producer of precious opal anywhere in the world.

White Cliffs, like Coober Pedy, produces predominantly ‘seam opal’ (i.e. opal that forms in horizontal seams in the ground as opposed to small nuggets, or ‘nobbies’.) White Cliffs is also notable for producing ‘opal pineapples’ (pictured left), a strangely shaped opal fossil in the shape of a mineral crystal. These rare fossils are formed when a mineral crystal of glauberite (or ikalite) is first replaced by calcite and then opalised.

Opal was first produced in 1890, following the discovery of stones in the area by a party of kangaroo hunters in 1889. White Cliffs opal was unique in that it represented the world’s first seam opal. Consequently, this opal was easier to value, clean, manufacture, and therefore was much sought-after. The White Cliffs opal field also was uniquely rich in opalised fossils – pseudomorphs of shells, bones, and even crystals (opal pineapples). All too frequently, at the turn of the 20th Century, White Cliffs opal was sold as Hungarian opal (an opal that had not been mined in quantity for almost a century!)

In 1899 some two thousand people lived within two miles of the town area of White Cliffs. These pioneers lived in five hundred timber and iron houses, as well as countless ‘calico mansions’ fabricated from Hessian and bark, or canvas. There was an underground restaurant, bakery, and bar; but dugouts were scarce and miners mostly lived in mine shafts.

White Cliffs supplied world overseas markets for some twenty-five years; in the process restoring the ‘forgotten gem’, opal, into favour after centuries of adverse superstition. Over a century White Cliffs became an outdoor classroom for geologists; palaeontologists, government officials, and hopeful fortune-hunters. Intense summer heat drove the first miners underground – by 1900, most residents had followed suit. In 1999, ninety per cent of local residents lived in some 135 dugouts.

Opals from NSW

Here’s a sample of the latest opals from New South Wales currently available in our Australian opal catalogue:

Sources :

The Australian Gemmologist, Vol 19, #7, 1996. “The True Story of White Cliffs.”, Glen Rowe.

The Australian Gemmologist, Vol 20, #6, 1999. “White Cliffs: A Century of History.”, Glen Rowe.

Visit Outback NSW

Visit NSW

Minerals NSW

“Opal”, Qld Dept. of Mines & Energy

The home of Australian Boulder Opal

Queensland produces boulder opal, an unique type of opal which is found attached to a host rock, ironstone. Boulder opal is unique to Queensland, and occurs in deposits in weathered sedimentary Cretaceous rocks in the west of the state.

Much opal mining in Queensland is carried out in ‘open cut’ mining operations, which is vastly different to shaft mining.

The Queensland opal fields are within a belt of deeply weathered Cretaceous sedimentary rocks known as the Winton Formation, which extends in a north-westerly direction from the New South Wales border at Hungerford stretching west of Cunnamulla, Quilpie, Longreach and Winton to Kynuna, a distance of about 1000 km.

Queensland’s opal mining fields are located in the west and southwest of the State, and include:

Yowah field (the southernmost field centred on the small town of Yowah—includes Black Gate)

Koroit field (north-east of Yowah)

Toompine field (east and south-east of Toompine—includes Lushingtons, Coparella, Duck Creek, Sheep Station Creek and Emu Creek)

Quilpie field (west and north north-west of Quilpie—includes some of the more productive mines in recent times—Pinkilla, Bull Creek, Harlequin, and probably the most famous of all, the Hayricks.

Kyabra-Eromanga field (west and north-west of Eromanga)

Bulgroo field (north of Quilpie field in the Cheviot Range—includes the Bulgroo, or Germans—and Budgerigar to the north )

Yaraka field—includes the mines in the Macedon Range, such as Mount Tighe

Jundah field (west of Jundah over the Thompson River—includes Jundah and Opalville mines)

Opalton-Mayneside field (centred on the old abandoned township of Opalton, and to the south in the Horse Creek – Mount Vergemont area)

Kynuna field—the most northerly field, south of the township of Kynuna.

Boulder opal is widely distributed in rocks in these areas, in generally elongated or ellipsoidal siliceous ironstone concretions or boulders ranging in size from less than a few centimetres to more than 20 cm. Concretions up to 5 cm across, known as ‘nuts’, may host a kernel of solid opal or contain a network of thin veins of opal through the ironstone. This variety of opal is prevalent at Yowah where the concretions form distinct bands—the well known ‘Yowah-nuts’.

These opal fields lie within a 300 km-wide belt of deeply weathered Cretaceous sedimentary rocks known as the Winton Formation. This extends north-north-west from Hungerford on the New South Wales border, west of the townships of Cunnamulla, Quilpie, Longreach and Winton, to Kynuna, a distance of about 1000 km.

Boulder opal is widely distributed in rocks in these areas, in generally elongated or ellipsoidal ironstone concretions or boulders, from a few centimetres, to up to 3 m across. The boulders may be confined to one or more layers or randomly distributed through the weathered sandstone. Their composition ranges from sandstone types (a rim or crust of ferruginised sandstone surrounding a sandstone core) or ironstone types (composed almost entirely of iron oxides).

The opal occurs as a filling or lining between the concentric layers or in radial or random cracks in the ironstone, or as a kernel in smaller concretions or nuts. (as found at Yowah and Koroit fields, the famous ‘Yowah-nuts’). Matrix opal is where the opal occurs as a network of veins or infilling of voids or between grains of the host rock (ferruginous sandstone or ironstone). Rare seam or band opal is also found and is typically encased in ironstone.

Pipe opal occurs in pipe-like structures which may be up to several centimetres in diameter within the sandstone and these structures may be hollow or opal-filled. Wood opal is occasionally found replacing woody tissue material.

As opposed to other sedimentary precious opal, boulder opal is attached to the ironstone, and stones are usually cut with the natural ironstone backing intact. Solid opals may be cut from the ironstone material where the opal is of sufficient thickness. Boulder opals are fashioned to standard shapes and sizes but are also cut in freeform shapes to highlight their individual beauty and to avoid wastage. Magnificent picture stones are also cut but these are mainly of interest to collectors rather than for jewellery use.

Quilpie opal fields

Looking for colour? In these parts there’s plenty of it, to be found both in the stories relating to the early settlement of the region and also that ‘colour’ which is sought from beneath the surface of the bush earth. Quilpie is best known as an opal town. It is often referred to as the home of the ‘Boulder Opal’ as the area is the largest producer of this type of opal in the world.

Located 980 kilometres west of Brisbane and 208 kilometres west of Charleville, Quilpie is the commercial and social centre of the Quilpie Shire. The name of the town was derived from the Aboriginal word ‘Quilpeta’ meaning Stone Curlew.

Relatively young, Quilpie was declared an official town on 29 April 1917, in the same year the railway line from Charleville to Quilpie was completed. Quilpie is rich in grazing history beginning with the pioneering efforts of families such as the Costello’s, Tully’s and Duracks.

Quilpie is located on the banks of the Bullo River in the famous Channel Country of western Queensland. The shire is supported through primary industries such as sheep, cattle grazing, oil, gas and opal mining. Apart from these main industries Quilpie Shire houses a keen and talented artistic community.

Winton opal fields

Rich in history, Winton was originally known as Pelican Waterhole and was first settled in 1875. The town is best known as the place that Banjo Paterson wrote Waltzing Matilda in 1895, whilst at Dagworth Station outside Winton. The first performance of the ballad was reported to be at Winton’s North Gregory Hotel on the 6th of April of the same year. Winton is recognised as the ‘home’ of Australian bush poetry, hosting the annual Bronze Swagman Award, one of the country’s most prestigious literary awards.

Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service (Qantas), Australia’s national airline was formed in Winton in November, 1920 and its first board meeting was held in the Winton Club on 21st February 1921.

During the Great Shearers’ Strike in the 1890s, 500 shearers camped just south of Winton and the town was placed under marshal law. This was the beginning of the foundation of the Labor Party.

Winton is famous for its water supply which thrusts its way to the earth’s surface from three artesian bores, all around 1,200 metres deep emerging at a temperature of 83 degrees celsius. The water is sourced from the Great Artesian Basin which provides water for most of Australia’s outback.

Winton is in the centre of Matilda Country, a diverse region in which vast mitchell grass plains are broken by magnificent coloured gorges, ridges and jump-ups. Visitors to the region will be amazed by the vastness of the plains and the undulating nature of the landscape. There is a wide variety of animal and bird life in the area, generally best seen around dusk and dawn on minor roads and tracks.

Day trips from Winton take visitors to Opalton, one of the oldest opal fields in Queensland; Combo Waterhole, where the swaggie of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ fame reputedly met his fate; the vintage sandstone homestead of Old Cork Station; and Lark Quarry, where 93 million year-old fossils capture a dinosaur stampede.

Opalton opal fields

The Opalton Field, also called the Fermoy Field was one of the largest and most extensively worked opal deposits in Queensland. It is a good example of typical opal country in western Queensland and offers the visitor the opportunity to experience first hand the remoteness and harsh conditions endured by the opal miners. Mining activity on the field is mostly limited to small-scale hand mining but some larger operations using heavy machinery are present in the surrounding area.

The Opalton Designated Fossicking Land was established in 1995 under the Fossicking Act 1994 by the then Department of Mines and Energy, with the co-operation of the Winton Shire Council and the landholder to provide for tourist and recreational fossicking. The Opalton Field is located about 124 km by road south-southwest of Winton. Travelling from Winton take the Jundah Road (mostly unsealed) and travel 15 km, turn left and travel a further 109 km (unsealed road) past Weona Homestead to Opalton. Visitors are requested not to call at ‘Weona’.

The Opalton area attracts large numbers of visitors and is popular with tourists as a place to “speck” or”noodle” fragments of opal or ironstone matrix from the surface or from the spoil dumps of old workings. However, known areas of shallow ground, such as the old Brilliant Claim area, may offer the more serious fossicker a chance to dig and find that outstanding gem.

Yowah opal fields

The Yowah opal field which includes the nearby area known as Black Gate is the southern-most opal mining centre of western Queensland. It is popular with tourists and fossickers as it has easy access from main roads and has shops, fuel, telephone, caravan park, and a permanent bore water supply. A small local population increases significantly during the winter season. The Yowah Fossicking Area has been established by the Department of Mines and Energy with the co-operation of the Council of the Shire of Paroo and the landholder to provide for tourist and recreational fossicking.

Yowah is about 160km west of Cunnamulla. Travelling towards Thargomindah, turn off to the right about 18km west of Eulo onto the Yowah / Toompine road and travel 48km via Alroy homestead to the Yowah-Quilpie turnoff. Continue a further 23km to Yowah; this last 23 km is unsealed. From Quilpie, drive 110km through Toompine to the Eulo / Yowah turnoff. Turn left and follow this mainly unsealed road for about 56km to the Yowah turnoff, and then continue the further 23km as above.

A feature of the Yowah field is the occurrence of precious opal in siliceous ironstone nodules generally referred to as “Yowah Nuts”. These nuts range from about 5mm to 200mm across, have a spherical or ellipsoidal shape, and show alternate concentric rings or bands of light and dark brown siliceous ironstone. There is sometimes a kernel of precious opal which is the main source of the gem. The nuts are found in layers (150 to 600mm in thickness) at depths up to 20m in a ferruginous sandstone, and are commonly associated with mudstone fragments or clay pellets. The main layer is located near the contact between the sandstone and underlying mudstone / claystone, but scattered nodules, and in some cases a second band, may occur above. The lateral continuity of the nut bands is somewhat difficult to predict owing to the irregular bedding of the strata, as well as the lack of any detailed
mapping. In some shafts, the nut band was not encountered, but the sandstone at its contact with the mudstone was found to be more ferruginous and cemented by partial opalisation into a hard band, which also contained opal in the form of seams and pipes.

The eastern part of the Fossicking Area has always been popular with tourists as a place to “speck” or “noodle” fragments of opal or ironstone matrix from the surface or shallow depth. In this area the main nut band appears to have been exposed at the surface, so that a layer of loose rubble of broken ironstone nut fragments covers the surface to a depth of about 600mm. Spotting chips of opal or fragments of matrix while digging through this
material is relatively easy with a bit of practice. Fragments may also occur on the spoil heaps of shafts from the old mining activities.

Opals from Queensland

Here’s a sample of the latest opals from Queensland currently available in our Australian opal catalogue:

Sources :

Queensland Holidays

“Opal in South Australia”, Mines & Energy Resources, SA

“Opal”, Qld Dept. of Mines & Energy

The home of Australian White & Crystal Opal

South Australia, by weight would produce most of Australia’s opal.  Fields such Coober Pedy, Andamooka, Mintabie, and Lambina produce stunning White and Crystal Opals.

Welcome to the serene world of opal mining in South Australia, where a relaxed ambiance blends seamlessly with captivating opal discoveries. Picture this: South Australia stands as a distinguished opal producer, with its opal mining fields – Coober Pedy, Andamooka, Mintabie (most mining was ceased in Mintabie in 2019 due to government regulations, although there is still plenty of old material around), and Lambina – collectively contributing to the breathtaking array of Australian White and Crystal Opals.

Unveiling Coober Pedy’s Opal Legacy

Coober Pedy, the global epicentre of white opal production, beckons from within the heart of South Australia’s outback, nestled in the Stuart Range, a mere 750 km north of Adelaide. Here, a distinctive way of life prevails, as locals gravitate towards subterranean dwellings for respite from the intense summer heat and comforting warmth during winter’s chill. The township emerges amidst rugged, arid terrain, punctuating the landscape of the Stuart Ranges. Vegetation remains scarce, a testament to the region’s modest rainfall, costly water resources, and soil with limited fertility.

Delving into history, the serendipitous discovery of opal in 1915 by a 14-year-old explorer accompanied his father’s gold prospecting expedition. This auspicious event heralded the establishment of the iconic Big Flat opal field by 1916. The aftermath of World War I ushered in a surge of miners, resulting in a remarkable escalation in opal production. The unique subterranean lifestyle embraced by returning servicemen conferred the field with its moniker, derived from the Aboriginal term ‘okupa piti,’ symbolising the ‘white man’s burrow.’

Opal deposits, ensconced within the weathered Bulldog Shale spanning shades of white to mauve from the Cretaceous era, are enveloped by the porous host rock, fondly termed ‘sandstone.’ This captivating gemstone manifests as horizontal ‘levels’ or steep ‘verticals,’ plunging as deep as 25 metres beneath the earth’s surface. The distribution of opal, characterised by its unpredictable nature, defies continuity across claims. Notably, Coober Pedy stands as the globe’s foremost purveyor of precious Australian opals (roughly 80%).

Andamooka’s Opal Odyssey

Turning our attention to Andamooka, this opal field made its debut in 1930, courtesy of the discovery by two boundary riders from Andamooka Station. Challenged by climatic adversities and the upheavals of the 1940s, the field’s initial production faced delays. However, the year 1962 witnessed an impressive resurgence, as around 800 miners converged on this opal-rich expanse. Situated approximately 520 km north of Adelaide, the miners of Andamooka ply their trade across an expansive 52-square-kilometre territory atop the Arcoona plateau. Mining endeavours encompass a diverse range of methods, including shafts, expansive bore-holes, open-cut excavations, and intricate tunnelling. The opal troves, composed of opalized shells, stones, and even remnants of ancient creatures, persist across no fewer than 24 distinct fields. Andamooka’s climate paints a semi-desert portrait, characterised by inviting weather spanning March through November, marked by warm days yielding to crisp nights. As summer approaches between December and February, temperatures ascend, occasionally peaking at 35°C in the shade, occasionally accompanied by the swirl of dust storms. Rainfall remains scant, with an annual average of approximately 175 mm.

The Allure of Mintabie Opal Fields

Mintabie, a newcomer to the opal narrative, traces its origins to the 1920s and the discovery by a well sinker named Larry O’Toole. However, it wasn’t until 1978 that the allure of opal fever took hold, driven by noteworthy opal discoveries. Situated approximately 180 km south of the Northern Territory border and some 300 km north of Coober Pedy, Mintabie’s operational canvas was initially constrained by an inhospitable climate and the challenge of scarce water resources until the mid-1970s. The infusion of heavy machinery and explosives in 1976 marked a transformative juncture. Of particular interest is the enactment of the Pitjantjatjara Land Rights Act in 1981, facilitating Mintabie’s assimilation into a substantial expanse of freehold Aboriginal land. This legislative stride has indelibly shaped Mintabie’s modus operandi. Notably, historical accounts suggest that during World War I, Indigenous individuals may have sold black opal, potentially sourced from Mintabie, to Coober Pedy, lying approximately 350 km to the northwest. As of 1988, Mintabie was home to a population of around 1,500 inhabitants, though recent years have witnessed a decline, attributed to dwindling production. Control of Mintabie was handed over  in 2019 to the traditional owners of the land (Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY)). There is now limited mining in the region. Mintabies climatic spectrum spans from sub-zero chill to sweltering highs.

Lambina’s Opulent Legacy

Lambina’s opal narrative unfolds against the backdrop of the Great Depression of the 1930s, with suggestions that opal was unearthed during these tumultuous times. A minor rush in the late 1980s, triggered by discoveries at the Seven Waterholes diggings, ushered in renewed vigour. Mining activity experienced fits and starts until the mid-1990s. The revelation of high-quality opal in 1996 ignited a fresh wave of prospecting claims. Alas, the Wik native title decision temporarily impeded the trajectory of new mining endeavours. By December 1997, miners learned of an imminent native title claim over the entire Mintabie region. Subsequent dialogues between miners and native title holders paved the way for the continuity of mining operations. Lambina’s current population hovers around 300 individuals, contributing significantly to South Australia’s opal landscape.

Adorning South Australia’s Opal Kaleidoscope

As you journey through the realm of opals from South Australia, a panorama of splendour awaits. Explore our Australian opal catalogue, where we present an exquisite selection of opals emanating from this distinguished region.

Check out our Opal collection online or visit Opals Down Under at our Sunshine Coast location.

Here’s a sample of the latest opals from South Australia currently available in our Australian opal catalogue:

Sources :

Mintabie Opal Field

“Submission to the Inquiry into Resources Exploration Impediments”, Trevor Peek, Economic Development Officer, Coober Pedy.

FAQ :  What is the history of opal / opals? Who discovered opals? When was opal first found?

In a cave in Kenya, Louis Leakey, the famous anthropologist, uncovered the earliest known opal artifacts. Dating back to about 4000 B.C., they most likely came from Ethiopia. Historically, opal discoveries and mining progressed similarly to the ways diamond, emerald, ruby and sapphire were produced. As early humans found various gemstones, they slowly learned to work them into decorative shapes. As communities developed, gems became symbols of wealth.

In the Old World, Hungary mined opal for Europe and the Middle East, while Mexico, Peru, and Honduras supplied their own native empires with the gemstone. Conquistadors introduced New World opal to Spain when they returned with stones in the early sixteenth century.

Since the late 1800’s, Australia has dominated opal production with more than ninety per cent of the global output. Opal of differing qualities occurs in more than twenty other countries, including Zambia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Poland, Peru, Canada, New Zealand, Indonesia, the USA, Brazil, and Mexico.

The modern name of the gem opal is derived from ancient sources: the Sanskrit Upala – which means “precious stone”; the Latin Opalus; and the Greek Opallios which both mean”to see a color change”.

Early races credited opal with magical qualities and traditionally, opal was said to aid its wearer in seeing limitless possibilities. It was believed to clarify by amplifying and mirroring feelings, buried emotions and desires. It was also thought to lessen inhibitions and promote spontaneity. The early Greeks believed the opal bestowed powers of foresight and prophecy upon its owner, while in Arabian folklore, it is said that the stone fell from heaven in flashes of lightning. To the Romans, it was considered to be a token of hope and purity.

Ancient Romans provided the first real market for opal. With a rich powerful empire, wealthy citizens acquired disposable income and a passion for gems. Opal, whose colours changed with every shift of light, was rarer than pearls and diamonds and destined to be the stuff of myths and dreams.

Mark Antony loved opal. Indeed, it is said that he so coveted an opal owned by Roman Senator Nonius that Mark Antony banished the Senator after he refused to sell the almond sized stone, reputed to be worth 2,000,000 sesterces. (US $80,000) Mark Antony is said to have coveted the opal for his lover, Cleopatra. Legend states that one Roman Emperor offered to trade one-third of his vast kingdom for a single Opal.

Writing before his death in 79 A.D., the Roman Pliny wrote of the opal as “Having a refulgent fire of the carbuncle (ruby or garnet), the glorious purple of amethyst, the sea green of emerald, and all those colours glittering together mixed in an incredible way.”

Pliny thought the opals came from India, but the gems so eagerly sought by Rome probably came from open cut mines in Hungary, situated near Cervenica or Cernowitz (now Czechoslovakia). He had been deceived by dealers who had probably hoped to capitalise on the appeal of “oriental” imports. Hungarian opals have a milk-white background, usually with a pin-fire, small-size colour display. During the Middle Ages, more than three hundred men worked the mines in Hungary. The mines in Eastern Europe were the only source of European opal until the Spaniards returned from the New World with Aztec opal.

In the Middle Ages, the opal was known as the “eye stone” due to a belief that it was vital to good eyesight. Blonde women were known to wear necklaces of opal in order to protect their hair from losing its color. Some cultures thought the effect of the opal on sight could render the wearer invisible. Opals were set in the Crown jewels of France and Napoleon presented his Empress Josephine a magnificent red opal containing brilliant red flashes called “The Burning of Troy.”

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, opal began to fall out of favour in Europe. It was wrongly branded as bringing ‘bad luck’, and was associated with pestilence, famine and the fall of monarchs. Queen Victoria, however, did much to reverse the unfounded bad press. Queen Victoria became a lover of opal, kept a fine personal collection, and wore opals throughout her reign. Princess Mary, Duchess of Gloucester, gave an opal ring to her niece Queen Victoria in 1849. This opal ring had been previously owned by Queen Charlotte since about 1810.

Queen Victoria’s friends and her five daughters were presented with fine opals. Opal became highly sought after because the Royal Court of Britain was regarded as the model for fashion around the world and fine quality opal had recently been discovered in far-off Australia. In the latter years of Queen Victoria’s long reign, various Australian opal fields were discovered and worked.

Discovery in Australia

The first discovery of common opals in Australia was made near Angaston (SA) by the  German geologist Johannes Menge in 1849. Both the Queensland Boulder Opal and Lightning Ridge fields attracted miners in the 1880’s. Production of precious opal began at White Cliffs (NSW) in 1890, from Opalton (Qld) in 1896, and at Lightning Ridge (NSW) in 1905.

Before 1900, rough opal was sent from White Cliffs, the premier NSW opal field, to Germany to be cut and polished. Gradually, professional cutters began appearing on the fields. They rigged up old treadle sewing machines or bicycles, designing innovative cutting/polishing gear. In 1907 at Old Town, on the Wallangulla Opal Fields (later known as the Lightning Ridge Opal Fields), the first recorded cutter was Charles Deane. When the 3-Mile broke out in 1908, cutters worked at Nettleton on 3-Mile Flat. Lorenz had learned to cut in Germany. He used horizontal wheels with a hand crank and was an expert. He made doublets, jewellery, and was one of the first to buy opal by the carat. Many miners cut their own opal, and often very roughly.

A study of the many written accounts of the time suggests that most of those early Australian discoveries were accidental – a horse’s hoof kicked up opal-bearing rock, a boundary rider’s wife discovered a pretty pebble in a creek bed, a flock of sheep was struck by lightning during a rainstorm and the run-off from the storm uncovered opal at ‘Lightning Ridge’. A number of Queensland locations also came into their own during the Depression years, when men without work were willing to chance their luck.

When Australian opals appeared on the world market in the 1890’s, the Hungarian mines spread the idea that it was not genuine, probably because gems with such brilliant fire had not been seen before. By 1932, the Eastern European mines were unable to compete with the high quality stone being produced in Australia and ceased production, allowing Australia to assume the mantle of premier opal producer of the world, becoming famous for Lightning Ridge’s colourful and rare black and crystal stone.

In South Australia, Angaston was followed by Coober Pedy in about 1912, Andamooka in about 1930, and then Mintabie. During the depression of the 1930’s the industry declined until new finds in 1946 stimulated mining and, since then, there has been a spectacular increase in production. Now over 50% of world production comes from South Australia.

A History of Opal Mining in Queensland

The history of opal in Queensland is one of heartbreak, frustration, determination and at times success at incredible odds. Rich in myths and legends, Queensland is the birthplace of the Australian Opal Industry. Opal was first discovered in Queensland on Listowel Downs, south of Blackall in 1869. The first registered mine was in 1871 south of the present town of Quilpie. Among the early miners were Berkelman and Lambert, who worked a deposit on the Barcoo in 1872-1873, and whose opal attracted great interest at the Queensland Annexe of the London International Gem Exhibition in 1873.

By 1875 there had been a number of wonderful finds and interest began to grow, but it wasn’t until, 1888 that Tullie Wollaston , a young surveyor turned entrepreneur from Adelaide made a determined effort to market the gem. In so doing he engraved his name forever across the annals of history. It was due to his sheer determination in convincing the gem merchants of the world to accept the gem that we now have a viable industry.

Opal gougers of last century were mostly shearers and station-hands who had little or no geological knowledge. George Cragg, a young stockman, discovered the northern opal fields on Warronbool Downs 100 kilometres south of Winton where the Opalton Field exists even to this day.

Two World Wars and droughts slowed the progress of Boulder Opal realising its full potential on the world stage. Although mining on a small scale continued it was relatively dormant. It was not until 1967, when Des Burton , a pharmacist from Quilpie become involved with Boulder Opal, unwittingly through his efforts, helped revitalise an industry. In the 1970’s he introduced modern opal cut mining techniques which revolutionised the opal mining industry.

Boulder Opal and the people that mine and deal with opal have supplied the industry a rich and colourful history, which has become part of Australia’s heritage. Opal has been discovered in Queensland from the Southern Borders of Western Queensland to as far north as Kynuna, this probably would be the largest opal field ever known, with opal mining centres in Winton and Quilpie.

Today the Queensland opal miner still exists, supplying the markets of the world with this most exquisite product, Queensland Boulder Opal.

Timeline – A History of Opal Mining in NSW

• 1877 – Mining for precious opal in igneous rocks begins at Rocky Bridge Creek, a tributary of the Abercrombie River, in the Central West.
• 1881 – Opal is discovered at Milparinka, near Tibooburra in the Far West.
• 1884 – Opal is discovered in sedimentary rock at White Cliffs in the Far West.
• 1889 – Precious opal is discovered at White Cliffs.
• 1880s or 1891 – Opal is discovered in sedimentary rock at Lightning Ridge (Wallangulla) and other localities in the area, but its commercial value is not recognised.
• 1890 – Precious opal mining begins at White Cliffs (continuing to 1915 then going into decline).
• 1896 – Opal is discovered at Purnanga and Grenville-Bunker Field. These occurrences are near White Cliffs and so extend the size of that opal-bearing district.
• 1897 – Opal is discovered in igneous rock at Tooraweenah, near Coonabarabran.
• 1901 – Opal is discovered in igneous rock at Tintenbar, on the Far North Coast.
• 1901-1905 – Opal mining begins at Lightning Ridge. The first shaft was put down around 1901 or 1902 by Jack Murray, a boundary rider who lived on a property nearby. Some time later, possibly a few months, a miner from Bathurst named Charlie Nettleton arrived and commenced shaft sinking. It was he who in 1903 sold the first parcel of gems from the field for $30, not a fiftieth of the price that could have been obtained five years later.
• 1908 – Opal mining begins at the Grawin-Sheepyard Field in the Lightning Ridge area, increasing the importance of the opal fields in the district.
• 1919 – Opal mining begins at Tintenbar, continuing to 1922.
• 1920 – The Newfield opal area is discovered.
• 1985 – Seminal work by the Geological Survey of New South Wales leads to better, more scientifically controlled exploration for opals.
• 1989 – The Coocoran opal area is discovered in the Lightning Ridge district.
• 1998-1999 – The estimated value of opal production in the State is about $44 million. New South Wales (and Australia) is a leading world producer of opals.

Sources :

• “Opal in South Australia”, Mines & Energy Resources, SA
• “Opal”, Qld Dept. of Mines & Energy
• Minerals NSW
• “Make your own Luck with Opal”, Jewellery World, June 2000. 
• Queensland Boulder Opal Association
• “Opals”, by Fred Ward, Gem Book Publishers, 1997.
• “Australian Precious Opal”, Andrew Cody, 1991.

FAQ :  How is opal valued? What makes a good opal? What are the different patterns in opal? What faults can opal have that detract from its value? What is the play-of-colour? What should I look for in a good opal? How are opals valued? Why are some opals more expensive than others?

The value of an opal depends on many factors. The type of opal, body tone, brilliance, pattern, colour bar thickness, the play of colour, and faults all play important roles in determining the value.

Other important factors include the quality of the cut & polish, and the size of the stone. When being valued, opal is carefully examined and given a price ‘per carat’. The overall carat size of the stone will then determine the price of the opal.

Opal class

First of all, it is essential to identify the type of opal which is being valued. An opal doublet or triplet can be worth considerably less than a solid opal. Doublets and triplets are an ‘assembled’ stone which only contains a very thin slice of natural opal and are therefore generally much less valuable.

Body Tone

Body tone is one of the most important factors in the classification and valuation of opals. Body tone refers to the background or the ‘underlying colour’ of the opal, which ranges from black through dark to light. Generally opals with a black or dark body tone are more valuable than those with a white, light, or crystal body tone, because a stone with a darker body tone tends to display colours more vibrantly.

Above – AOGIA 1-9 body tone scale.

Black opal is the most prized opal and may realise prices over AUD $15,000 a carat. Boulder opals also have a dark body tone. White opals have a light body tone and are generally the least valuable form of opal.

The term crystal opal refers to the ‘diaphaneity’ (transparency) of an opal, not its crystal structure, and is defined as any type of opal which is translucent to transparent. (See image, below) Some crystal opal displays colour so intense, so dark, that the opal is referred to as ‘black crystal opal.’

Above – Black Opal, Semi-black Opal, Boulder Opal, Crystal Opal

The play of colour

The phenomenon known as the “play-of-colour” is the brilliant range of the full spectrum of colours caused by the diffraction of white light by the internal structure of orderly arrayed spheres of silica. Red (fire) opal is generally more valuable than a mainly green opal which, in turn, is more valuable than a stone showing only blue colour. Nature does not produce a red colour as often as it does a blue or green. Red colouring is caused by larger microscopic silica spheres, whereas blue is caused by the more common small spheres.

Brilliance

Brilliance refers to the brightness and clarity of the colours displayed by opal, when the stone is viewed face-up. This ranges from brilliant , bright , to subdued or dull.

Pattern

The pattern of coloured segments, forming the play-of-colour of a precious opal, is unique to every individual opal. The distinctiveness and colour displayed by these segments determines the quality of the pattern of an opal.

Excellent patterns include;

• Harlequin, large sections of colour in which each colour segment is roughly the same size and shape, like a mosaic or chequerboard. A true harlequin pattern is extremely rare and highly sought after.
• Flagstone, large sections of colour with straight edges, in a random pattern
• Ribbon, narrow, parallel cascading lines of rolling colour
• Straw, random thin strips of overlapping colour
• Chinese Writing, thin strips of overlapping colour which resemble Chinese characters
• Picture stones, the intriguingly unique patterns of ‘novelty’ or ‘picture’ stones, which resemble an object, landscape, animal, person, etc.

Good patterns include;

• Floral – a random pattern of colour with good spread
• Rolling Flash – large sections of colour which roll across the stone as it turns
• Broad Flash – large sections of colour which flash as the stone turns
• Pinfire – tiny points or specks of colour

Poor patterns are indistinct, and are characterised by patterns featuring Moss and Grass.

Above patterns – left to right, Harlequin, Flagstone,  Chinese Writing, Broad Flash, Straw, and Floral. ( Photos by Len Cram).

Colour bar

The thickness of the colour bar in opal is relative to the overall size and shape of the individual stone. Boulder opal typically has a very thin colour bar due to the way the opal is geologically formed. This should be taken into account when valuing the stone, however makes little difference to its appearance once set in jewellery.

Faults

Faults which can detract from the value of a finished opal are many and varied. A crack in the face can render almost worthless an opal that otherwise might have been worth a considerable amount per cart. Crazing, i.e. many small cracks in the opal’s face will also relegate the stone to worthless.

Sand and various other minerals can be found as inclusions in and/or under the colour bar, and in the potch of opals. Sand/sandstone inclusions in the potch (on the underside of the opal) will have no effect on the value of the opal.

Other faults include potch lines, webbing, (grey lines) and windows (sections devoid or lacking in colour). The consistency of colours and pattern when viewed from different directions also has an influence – when a stone “won’t face”, the colour only shows through on certain angles and otherwise has little colour. The visibility of potch or brown ironstone on the surface of the stone will also lead to a drop in value.

Conclusion

All the above factors are taken into account when valuing opal, however there is no substitute for experience. Truth be known, there is no standardised or set method for valuing opals, as each opal is extremely unique in terms of pattern, brightness, and colouring (unlike diamonds, which can be more accurately valued according to a set chart of colours, clarity, faults, etc.) Always ask for a certificate of valuation / authenticity with your opal, and get a second opinion from an experienced valuer if you are concerned about the value of your stone.

Sources :

• “Opal in South Australia”, Mines & Energy Resources, SA
• “Opal”, Qld Dept. of Mines & Energy
• The Australian Gemmologist, Vol21, #7, “Classification of Type 1 Natural Opal”, Joseph Schellnegger.

FAQ :  How is opal mining done? What is noodling? How are opals mined? How is opal mined? What is open-cut mining? How are opals processed?

Opal is one of the few minerals which can be extracted economically by a miner working alone. The simplest form of mining, carried out in the early days of opal mining, is by shaft sinking with a pick and shovel. A shaft is sunk straight down until some promising “opal dirt” is discovered. The miner would then branch out sideways, following the “level” of opal. Driving along the level is carried out with picks and explosives. A handpick or screwdriver is used to delicately extract any opal found, due to the frailty of the stone. Most mining was a two-man operation, one man in the hole and another up top to wind the windlass and haul out the dirt.

Most shafts are now sunk by Calweld-type drills which are used to sink vertical holes about one metre in diameter using an auger bucket. Waste material, or mullock, from the shafts and drives was originally lifted in buckets by hand windlass, but power winches or automatic bucket tippers are now used.

Of course, sinking a hole in recognised opal country offers no certainty of finding what is sought. More than sixty separate ‘fields’ have been worked at Lightning Ridge alone, and each of them has waxed and waned according to what was found. Following “seam opal” on a field such as The Grawin means first locating a seam of the glassy gray “potch” in hopes that at some spot, the potch will suddenly take on the qualities of gem opal. These underground ribbons bend, turn, dip to impossible depths, or simply disappear according to the pressures exerted on the earth long ago. Tantalising hints of those prehistoric times sometimes are uncovered in the form of opalised sea shells or opalised fossils from the days of the dinosaurs.

There has been a rapid increase in the use of mining machines since the 1970s. Tunneling machines with revolving cutting heads and small underground front-end loaders (boggers) have been introduced to streamline opal mining and dramatically increase productivity. Miners soon saw the benefits of technology – drilling test shafts to gauge their chances before beginning serious excavation, using jackhammers instead of pickaxes, blasting with dynamite, or bringing in the bulldozers. Bulldozers are employed to remove overburden and expose the level where it is shallow. Spotters follow behind watching for traces of opal, and any seam found is then worked over by handpick.

Of course, all of these labour savers sometimes end in bitter tears, when the opal is spotted only after it has been shattered. They also increase the cost of equipment and operation.

In Queensland, the majority of mines worked in recent years are large open-cut operations. Overburden is stripped from zones of ironstone boulder concretions. Boulders are carefully removed from the ground for processing. Heavy equipment has been used to open up most areas of old workings. At Yowah, underground methods are still applied with success. Shafts are sunk until a prospective layer is intersected. The layer is then explored by the driving of tunnels. Usually at least two shafts are sunk and connected by drives to allow circulation of air. In areas of underground mining, miners utilise ‘light’ electrical machinery driven by portable generators.

If the boulders show any evidence of opalisation, they are first removed from the mined ground and collected for later inspection for opal content, and sorted in readiness for sale as rough, or for further processing. For boulder opal, some of the ironstone is left attached as a natural backing, producing natural doublets. Other stones are cut from the ironstone matrix containing opal.

The Australian export market for opals has been in decline in recent years, but this trend is likely to be turned around as production increases from existing and new deposits. Australia exports most of its opal to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, USA and Europe.

As most old diggings have now been largely worked out or reworked by open-cut methods, exploration to find new prospects has commenced over known opal bearing country. Well-resourced exploration companies have become involved and are applying more systematic and extensive exploration techniques on a regional scale in the search for new deposits. Positive results have been reported, which should lead to further exploration and new mines.

In addition to the traditional opal fields, exploration for opal has been undertaken in the Hebel-Dirranbandi area near the Queensland – New South Wales border where there is a 70 km northern extension of the Cretaceous Griman Creek Formation, which hosts the Lightning Ridge opal field.

Both shaft and open-cut mining takes place at Lightning Ridge, although shaft-mining is more common due to the way opals on this famous field were formed. “Ridge” opal is encased in rounded formations known as “nobbies”… but not all nobbies contain opal. At Andamooka, “seam opal” is the object of the miner’s search.

Near whatever water is available, an array of concrete mixer trucks is a common site – used to ‘agitate’ (wash and sluice) the opal-bearing material like gigantic washing machines. “Blowers” at some locations suck the opal dirt into trucks at topside, which haul the dirt to the “agitator” for sluicing.

Noodling

Many locals make a living out of searching through heaps of discarded mullock for pieces of precious opal. Noodling machines in which mullock is passed by conveyor under an ultra-violet light in a darkened enclosure are also used. Many people enjoy partaking in this activity during visits to the opal fields, and some do it for a living.

Sources:

• “Opal in South Australia”, Mines & Energy Resources, SA
• “Opal”, Qld Dept. of Mines & Energy
• “Make your own Luck with Opal”, Jewellery World, June 2000.

FAQ :  How do I take care of opals? What is the best way of caring for opal? What is a doublet? What is a triplet? How do I clean my opal? What happens if I get my opal wet?

Because we love opal, we like to educate our customers on how best to care for their opals, so they can enjoy the beauty of this individual and precious gemstone for many years to come. Please take a few moments to read this guide, and don’t hesitate to email us if you have any questions.

Doublets, Triplets, & Solid Opal

Taking care of opal is easy. All it takes is a little bit of common sense and knowledge about opal. Before deciding how to best care for your opal you need to be aware of the type of opal you have;

• Doublets – Doublet opals consist of two layers, a thin slice of opal and a black backing. The slice of opal is cemented to the backing in order to enhance the colour.
• Triplets – Similar to doublets, triplets also include a third transparent layer on the top (quartz or glass) to protect the opal and give it a rounder shape.
• Solid Opal – Natural solid opal which has only been cut and polished.

Caring for your Opal

Solid Opals – Opal is a soft stone, approximately the same hardness as glass (around 6.5 on Moh’s hardness scale), so it is important to treat your opal carefully in order to avoid damaging it. Remove your opal jewellery if there is a chance it will be scratched or broken (i.e. working in the garden, moving furniture, etc.)

Many people believe solid opals can be damaged by water – however, this only applies to doublets and triplets. Solid opals are fine in water. In fact, most precious opals contain about 5-6% water. As a result, opal may crack if subjected to very dry conditions or rapid changes in temperature. Try to avoid very high temperatures or low humidity extremes, such as boiling water or zero humidity bank vaults.

Doublets & Triplets – Caring for doublets or triplets is a little different to caring for solid opals. Because doublets and triplets consist of multiple layers glued together, prolonged exposure to water will eventually cause lifting between the layers and the infiltration of water. A doublet or triplet will take on a ‘foggy’ or grey appearance if this happens. This does not mean your opal will be ruined if you wear it in the shower once, or are caught in the rain. It takes prolonged exposure to cause water damage to a doublet or triplet.

Cleaning Your Opal

Solid opal should be cleaned gently with mild detergent in warm water and a soft toothbrush or cloth. Avoid bleach, chemicals and cleaners. Doublets & triplets may be wiped with a damp soft cloth and mild detergent, but should never be soaked or immersed.

Never allow anyone to clean your opal in an ultrasonic cleaner, as the intense vibrations may cause cracking in a solid opal, and water penetration in a doublet or triplet.

If your stone loses its shine or becomes scratched, bring it back to an opal cutter. After years of wear, small scratches and scuff marks cause an opal to lose its shiny polish and become dull looking. Professional polishing can bring new life to an opal which has become dull or scratched, and we can also check for claw damage and ensure the security of the setting.

Storing Opals

If you need to store your opal away for a period of time, simply place it in a padded cloth bag for protection and store it away. For longer storage periods, place your opal in cotton wool with a few drops of water, then into a sealed plastic bag just to be safe. The water is not intended to soak into the stone (as opal is impervious) but will prevent water coming out of the stone if it is exposed to very low humidity environments (for example, zero humidity storage safes).

We hope this guide has been helpful to you, feel free to contact us if you have any further questions… Take care!