Opals have a long and fascinating history, one that dates back to Roman times and is rife with mind-blowing stories.

A past steeped in sin, adventure, hijinks and Indiana Jones-like exploits. Once upon a time, in our shared history, Opals were the top of the list of all gemstones.

People loved silver and gold, sure, but every other stone was a kind of party-favor - Opal was the premier jewel; it was THE gemstone. To what degree? Wars were waged for Opals, empires traded for the stone, economies constructed upon its luster. For this article, we are going to do a little time travel as we discuss Opal mining and current sources of Opals worldwide.

Where are Opals mined?

95% of Opals are extracted in Australia from many of the fabled pits, often with colourful stories to be told of their extraction.

That 5% is found in places: Ethiopia, Mexico, Brazil, Nevada and other smaller areas, even Mars. It must be respected that Australian has the world best regulated Opal mining operation with best documented process.

One with an appropriate infrastructure and appropriate census. So, that 95% is an approximate number. Why? So many other places have hit or miss bookkeeping so it’s impossible to actually get a proper count.

Australia and Opal mining

The modern historians and geologists mostly agree on Australia’s boom in Opals starting the year 1849. A German geologist, Johannes Menge, discovered the world’s first true treasure trove of that precious gemstone in a hidden valley near the small town of Angaston.

The man himself wasn’t big on fanfare, and only a handful of people knew it existed. It was only in 1869 that Opal really made it big-time in Australia and the business boomed.

Johannes Menge

The real first Opal discovery, the one that grabbed the papers and everybody’s imagination, happened near Listowel Downs on this date. Haps of miners hit the area for a few years. They stripped it dry. At the time, most Australians thought it was a fluke. For a one-off mining opportunity and that there was no more precious gemstone on the continent.

Then, suddenly, dozens of other mines began to emerge. Across Queensland and New South Wales, it seemed like people were crawling out of ditches when they see the glint of a stone and got it, like the diminutive rodent-careerist, cinched between their fingers. Huge mine stories began to emerge and small towns with prospectors sprang up overnight in distant locations.

Mining Town in White Cliff

Prospectors had barely been scraping by for years - nothing really, just in barely making ends meet. Why? The Europeans and American buyers were 100% cautious of buying Opal.

A series of fake bands with fake stones had overflowed the market with imposters who simply mimicked the authentic Opal without the same quality of color as the true gem grade Opal. That meant the market, and Opal as a commodity, were noncurrent. So prospectors would have to sell the gemstones just to pay the bills.

One chemical breakthrough revolutionized the landscape, and, once the right processes were implemented, the commercial worth of Opal soared in the early years of the 20th century. Science had discovered a way to test the gemstone’s purity.

And, just like that, a hundred ships went to Australia. The Opal market was plagued by heavy competition from rich corporations from London all the way to America with their attempts to land the Opal trade. Those shanty Opal towns, such as Lightning Ridge, flourished. Australia had been gripped by opal fever.

Like in the States, during a Gold Rush, entire towns would pop up around opal mines for a couple years. Prospecting was a way of life. With the quick arrival of prospectors, there was an economic boom in some areas that, just under a decade before, had been dirt and sand.

Australian Opal still rocks the world – today. The Opal gemstones set into Opal rings are, for the most part, sourced from there. It makes 95 percent of the world’s commercial supply, much of it extracted from the 70 or so Opal fields that dot the region around Coober Pedy - the Opal capital of the world. Many crystal opals, such as the one featured in this ring, come from these mines.

This is the place that released to the world the largest and most valuable gemstone known to exist, “Olympic Australis.” While the bulk of Australia’s black opal is sourced from Lightning Ridge, Coober Pedy has also been known to yield some stunning specimens of black opal, the most rare type.

Opal and Ethiopia

Opal deposits have been historically reported in what is now Northern Africa dating back to 4000 BC when the indigenous people used the gemstone as a carving tool - an interesting application of the stone, especially given the comparatively soft nature of the material.

However, mining in the region did not start in earnest until the late 20th century because of Africa’s unstable political and social climate. The gem made its first appearance in the Ethiopian press when the discovery of a sizable deposit was announced in 1994 in the Menz Gishe District of North Shewa Province.

Opal deposits in Ethiopia

This Opal from this area (known around the world, as a result of its source location, as “Welo” Opal) is increasingly being sold, coming exclusively from one of the few government (state) controlled mines in the Wollo Province - Opal from Ethiopia. It is, however, both newer to market and less stable, because its hydrophane structure is known to permanently change its appearance on occasion when juiced, and while beautiful, is also less expensive than its Australian counterpart.

Mexico and Opal mining

Opal naturally forms in large deposits in the central Mexican area - mostly in the state of Queretaro. For a time, nearly 100 mines dotted the area but major natural and manmade accidents made it near impossible to locate and harvest deposits.

Now there are only a handful of minor opal mines in Mexico.

Other locations

There are more undiscovered Opals that await exploration in other parts of the world. That even includes the US. Mining there, where some geologists and precious gemstone traders buzz with excitement at potential finds.

Nothing like the discovery of an unexpected One-of-a-Kind Australian Opal.

At Luna Felix Goldsmith, we take great joy identifying extraordinary opals and translating their stories into stunning pieces of handcrafted gold jewelry.

We have a variety of handmade rings, opal necklace, opal bracelets and opal earrings. Luna Felix Goldsmith has also created ready to ship opal jewelry.