AUSTRALIAN BOULDER OPAL JEWELRY
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’. The besttime to visit the opal fields is April to September. Summer is a difficult time to travel due to the high temperatures and heavy rains.
Located in Western Queensland, it is a remote and isolated country where opal miners can experience tremendously harsh conditions. No paved roads, no running water, no hospitals, no proper toilets, no lights, no grocery stores along with plenty of bugs, rodents and wild life. The complete opposite to what most modern cities look like and an environment that most could not handle.
Most Opal Miners are motivated by the passion that they have for the rare precious gemstone and consider money as the “reward” for having such passion. Being the first to set eyes on the gemstone, miners often times have a personal connection with the stones and save it.
The Opalton Field is where Australian Boulder Opal is sourced and where hard Iron Stone is plentiful. As silica drips deep inside the earth, it marries and hardens onto the ironstone, a process that takes millions and millions of years to complete. But the story does not end there.
Finding Opal inside the earth is like finding a needle in a haystack, especially under such extreme environmental conditions. After taking millions of years to form underneath the earth, there is the skilled experienced Opal miner who needs to understand earth formations and faults, possess the proper machinery and equipment, cover diesel costs, equipment costs not to mention the tremendous patience that is required. Definitely not a job for the light hearted
Once the precious and tremendously rare material is found, the stones must be cut and polished by trained and experienced Opal cutters. One wrong move of the blade and the Opal Gemstone can easily crack and break. Finally, the experienced jeweler comes into the story. Their job is to highlight the richest part of the gem colored flash creating an heirloom piece that is passed down from generation to generation.. and for millions of more years to come!
Owning an authentic piece of Genuine Australian Boulder Opal is truly a rare privilege. By owning a piece of authentic opal, you are a part of a long history that began millions of years ago that required experienced miners, opal cutters and jewelers to finally reach you!
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