Lexi Webster
Opals are predominantly found in Australia, with the country producing around 95% of the world's opals. Within Australia, opals are mined in the states of Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia. Opals have also been found in the desert region of Western Australia, with the Williams opal mine at Coolgardie being one example.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Opals found in Western Australia | Yes |
| Location | 600 km north of Kalgoorlie |
| Type of opal | Fire opal |
| Comparison | Similar to Mexican opal |
| Formation | Exothermic, not sedimentary |
| Depth | Found about a metre deep |
| Colour | Lustrous orange/red hues |
| Mining costs | Lower than other Australian opals |
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What You'll Learn
Opals are found in Western Australia's desert region
Opal was first mined commercially in Queensland in 1875, and the country has been the world's largest producer of opals since 1932. The major opal-mining areas in Australia over the last century have been White Cliffs, The Queensland Fields, Lightning Ridge, Grawin & Glengarry, Coober Pedy, Andamooka, Mintabie, and Lambina.
Coober Pedy is the main producer of white opal, although all types of opals are found there. Lightning Ridge is famous for producing black opal, the darkest and most valuable form of opal. The town of Quilpie in Queensland is another opal mining and wholesale centre.
A new opal field was discovered in Western Australia in 2019, producing a fire opal similar to that of Mexican opal. This exothermic form of opal is limited in production, but the field covers a huge area, so the possibility of larger finds is high.
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Coober Pedy is the main producer of white opal
Opal is found in Australia, particularly in the state of South Australia. The town of Coober Pedy in South Australia is the main producer of white opal. Opal was first discovered in the town in 1915 by a 14-year-old boy, William Hutchison, whose father was prospecting for gold in the area. The opal was found on the surface, and the first opal claim was staked soon after. However, it took some time for opal mining to gain traction in the area.
Coober Pedy's culture is deeply rooted in opal mining, with the town's sign featuring a mining truck raised on poles. The town is a popular tourist destination, known for its underground dwellings, which were first introduced by early opal miners who sought shelter from the extreme heat. Coober Pedy is home to a diverse range of people, with over 4,000 residents representing more than 50 nations.
The opal fields around Coober Pedy have contributed significantly to the town's history of boom and bust cycles. During the 1970s, the town experienced a boom in opal production and high global demand. However, the industry faced challenges during the Great Depression of the late 1930s and 1940s, when opal prices dropped and production slowed. In 1946, an Aboriginal woman named Tottie Bryant made a significant opal discovery at the Eight Mile field, sparking another rush to the opal fields.
Coober Pedy has a rich history of opal mining, attracting people from all walks of life in search of fortune. The town's unique landscape and mining culture have made it a popular destination for tourists interested in exploring opal mines and learning about the industry. Coober Pedy's shops display a wide variety of opals sourced from all over Australia, making it a go-to place for opal enthusiasts and collectors.
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Lightning Ridge is famous for black opal
Opals have been found in Western Australia, specifically in the desert region. However, Lightning Ridge in New South Wales is known as the world capital of black opal. Opal was discovered in Lightning Ridge in the late 1880s, but its value was not recognised until Charlie Nettleton sank the first shaft in 1903 and sold the first parcel of black opal later that year.
Lightning Ridge opal is among the rarest and most precious natural gemstones in the world. It is a stunning and captivating type of opal that features a dark, or black, body tone and vibrant rainbow hues. These hues include brilliant red, fiery orange, neon yellow, electric green, striking blue, and shimmering hot pinks and purples. Lightning Ridge black opal is said to have all the beauty and fire of more well-known gemstones while also encapsulating all the colours of the rainbow in a single gemstone.
Lightning Ridge is located about an eight-hour drive northwest of Sydney and is renowned as the home of Australia's black opal. The town is quite small, but opal mines are distributed all over the town and its surrounding areas. The opal tends to form close to the boundary between the Wallangulla Sandstone and Finch Claystone units. Lightning Ridge opal is typically found as nodules or "nobbies", or in seams, which are flat layers of thick or thin opal. Nobbies are mostly mined at the Cooceran opal fields and around the outskirts of Lightning Ridge, while seam opal is found at the Grawin opal fields and surrounds.
The heyday of black opal came in the 1980s and 1990s when the Japanese fell in love with the gem. As demand from Japan started to fall, the Chinese gradually learned more about opal, and China has the potential to become a major opal consumer.
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Boulder opal is found in Queensland
Opals have been found in Western Australia, with the Williams opal mine at Coolgardie being one example. However, the focus of this discussion is on boulder opals, which are predominantly found in Queensland.
Queensland is indeed home to the unique Australian boulder opal, with the state's opal fields producing the most spectacular opal of all different kinds. Boulder opal is the vast majority of the production and the most characteristic type of opal found in Queensland. The term 'boulder opal' covers three subcategories: Boulder Matrix, Boulder Opal, and Opalised Wood, with the latter being the rarest and the cutter's favourite.
Boulder opals are mined in Queensland from numerous localities in a zone extending over 700 km from the Eulo and Cunnamulla district in the south to Kynuna in the north. The towns of Quilpie, Yowah, Koroit, and Winton are the main opal mining and wholesale centres. Winton, Opalton, and Quilpie in Outback Queensland are specifically known for their boulder opals. Quilpie, situated on the bank of the Bullo River, is the largest producer of boulder opal in Queensland.
Boulder opals form in many different shapes and patterns, adding elements beyond the play of colour that make them more desirable for wearers and collectors. They have exceptional play-of-colour, with exotic patterns, abstract imagery, and a unique structural relationship with their host rocks. The pricing of a boulder opal is influenced by the brightness and clarity of its colours, with red being the rarest and most expensive.
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Opals are Australia's National Gemstone
The major outcrops of opal in Australia occur along the shoreline of what was once The Great Inland Sea. The opal mined in White Cliffs excited the world, and the town soon developed. By the 1920s, it had a population of more than 3,000 people. White Cliffs produced fine-quality seam material in such volumes that the world had not previously seen.
Coober Pedy in South Australia is now the main producer of white opal, though in recent years this field has expanded and all types of opals are found there. Other centres in South Australia include Andamooka, Mintabe, and Lambina. Lightning Ridge in New South Wales is renowned for black opal. The Ridge produces almost all of Australia's sensational black opals, and despite a recent decline in production, it is still the largest producer of opal by value.
Opals have been discovered in the desert region of Western Australia. The Williams opal mine at Coolgardie has some beautiful specimens, but most were crazed and only for display purposes.
The world's highest-quality precious opal is arguably found in Australia, which is home to larger opal fields than those in the rest of the world combined. Opals are unique among gemstones in that they display a rainbow-like array of colours due to their intrinsic microstructure, which diffracts white light into all the colours of the spectrum. This process is called opalescence. While the body colour of most precious opal is white, it can also be black, transparent, or red-orange. The latter is known as fire opal, and its colour is caused by the presence of small iron oxide impurities, or rust.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, a new opal field has been discovered in Western Australia, which produces a fire opal.
Fire opals are exothermic, rather than sedimentary-formed like other Australian opals. They are found about a metre deep and have lustrous orange/red hues.
Opal fields lie in Queensland, New South Wales, and South Australia, along the site of the ancient 'Great Inland Sea'.
