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Opals are Australia's national gemstone Australia produces over 90% of the world's precious opals. Mining takes place in four main areas:
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| Quilpie Western Queensland | ||
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This is the home of the beautiful Queensland Boulder Opal, which many experts declare to be the brightest and most attractive of all the opals found in Australia. The opal is found in ironstone and sandstone boulders which are millions of years old. Despite new mining techniques, production from the Queensland opal fields is unfortunately still very limited. |
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| Lightning Ridge New South Wales | ||
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This is the home of the famous Black Opal and it derives its name from the colour of the 'nobbies' or pieces of rough opal in which the gems are usually found. Black Opals were first discovered at Lightning Ridge in 1903 and today top quality Black Opals (brilliant red on a black background) are the most valuable of all opals. However, there are many other brilliant Black Opal colours from which to choose. |
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| Coober Pedy and Mintabie South Australia | ||
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This is where the 'white' or 'milk' opals are mined. Opal was first found in the Coober Pedy area in 1915, but it was not until 1925 that the mining camp was given the name Coober Pedy, which is Aboriginal, meaning "white man in a hole". And that is exactly what miners did then, and still do today.…..live underground to escape the fierce heat of summer. Although the Mintabie field was thought to have been discovered around 1921, it was only in the 1980's that production increased to make it a commercial field. Mintabie Opals cover a wide range of colours, from the dark to the light. |
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Opal has been mined in many other places in Australia, including White Cliffs, Yowah, Eulo and Andamooka, but only limited mining and fossicking takes place in these areas today. |
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| How valuable is an opal? Today, in the gem centres of the world, Opal is recognised as a precious gemstone along with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. Australia produces over 90% of the world's supply of opals, and over the past ten years, solid opal prices have increased 20% per annum on average. |
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