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Diamond and Gemstone Mining in Australia Industry Market … Despite an overall decline over the past five years, diamond and gemstone miners’ revenue is expected to increase strongly in 2012-13 as a result of increased ... Opal - Welcome to ICA - All About Colored Gemstones Gemstone.org - International ... Australia is the classical country of origin. ... The remaining five per cent are mined in Mexico, and in Brazil’s north, ... It's an Honour - Symbols - Gemstone Australia's opal fields are bigger than those found in the rest of the world combined. ... proclaimed the opal Australia's national gemstone on 27 July 1993. Use. Gemstone Mining | Gems - Jewellery: Silver, Diamond Earrings ... Gemstone mining ranges from the corporate, such as the large, ... In Australia, there is even an underground Opal mining village at Coober Pedy! Australian opals and gemstones | Australian Price Opal is allot different than most gem stones as they are not a crystal but more like a silica ... Opal is found in lots of places in Australia South Australia, ...

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"Bharatbook.com has announced the addition of “Diamond and Gemstone Mining in Australia” ( … Opals - darkside on HubPages Most of the world's opal production is mined in Australia, with Mexico the nearest competitor. ... Opals are Australia's most valuable gemstone exports. How Are Gemstones Mined? - EzineArticles Submission - Submit … Dec 04, 2008 · Amethysts are mined all over the world but those with the highest saturation are mined in Australia. ... How Are Gemstones Mined? EzineArticles.com. 68.05 CARAT *HUGE* AUSTRALIAN BOULDER OPAL *BEAUTIFUL GEMSTONE ... 68.05 carat *huge* australian boulder opal *beautiful gemstone mined in australia*!! - safe deposit coins llc Gem Stone Globe - Native stones from Gemstones Downunder Gem Stone Globe Australia is the home to the world famous Black Opal from Lighting Ridge. Australia is also know for other unique gemstones which are mined in ... Aussie Sapphire » Gemstones Images above show that our gemstone mining causes little ...

Ruby is less common in Australia but may be found at various sites in NSW notably the ... Fossicking sites Australia: Top 10 - Australian Geographic BUY NOW FOSSICKING, A UNIQUELY Australian term for prospecting, has been a storied part of this country's cultural history. When European settlers became aware of the abundance of precious minerals resting beneath the surface of Australia, they were quick to develop systems to sift through sand, dirt and mud. Following spurts of enthusiasm and the heady days of the Gold Rush, fossicking is now primarily a hobby, often used by travellers as a means to explore remote corners of the continent. A small haul of gold nuggets from Tennant Creek , but at more than US$35 per gram, worth the effort. (Image: Heath Holden) How to find precious gems Although everywhere outside New South Wales requires a pre-approved permit, the rules of fossicking are largely unwritten. It remains a low-stakes, hands-on activity that draws families, geologists and metal-detector enthusiasts alike. Opal in particular is more abundant in Australia than anywhere else on Earth; in fact, Australia produces 97 per cent of the of the world’s supply.

Australians have also taken their adoration of opal to a cultural level. 'Noodling' is a term used to describe fossicking solely for opal, and, almost 100 years ago, Coober Pedy was established in SA – an entire community based underground to facilitate access to the opal mines. These days, striking it rich is less of a possibility. For many, fossicking provides a framework for travel – a focal point to discover the sights of Australia. From the scorching red sand of Harts Range, NT, to Tasmania’s picture-perfect Killiecrankie Bay, sifting for minerals remains one of the finer ways to get to know Australia. Australian Opal Mining Australian Opal Mining There are many Australian opal mining towns, but Lightning Ridge, Coober Pedy, Andamooka, Quilpie & Yowah seem to interest people the most! Lightning Ridge.... Of these, Lightning Ridge is special because it is one of the few places in the world (and the primary one in Australia), where the renowned "black opal" is found, a precious and highly valued gemstone.

Australian Black Opal , unlike ordinary opal, has carbon and iron oxide trace elements in it which produces a very dark base stone which deepens the full spectrum of it's opal colors found within. The Australian Opal Mining town of Lightning Ridge is situated 770 klm from Sydney and 72 klm north of Walgett, New South Wales. Although it has a small permanent population, more visitors come to Lightning Ridge every year to either try their luck at fossicking or opal mining and to see exactly what an outback australian opal mining town is really like! There are some that, once having visited, have "fallen in love" with the place and joined the permanent population of Lightning Ridge ! The first white man to discover these beautiful Lightning Ridge opals was Charles Nettleton in 1902. He was originally an opal miner at White Cliffs, but when his money ran out he left White Cliffs and eventually made his way to an area known as Nettleton's Hill on Angledool Station and started prospecting for opals. This site became known later as Lightning Ridge. Lightning Ridge Opal Mining .....

Lightning Ridge has evolved from a rough and ready australian opal mining township surrounded by mullock humps, into an Australian opal mining town where visitors can enjoy good quality motels, restaurants, and gift shops, giving it distance from its more uncivilised past history, but somehow keeping its unique feeling of it's opal mining mystique. The opal at Lightning Ridge is usually found at levels of up to 25 metres deep. The opal mining is usually carried out mainly by individuals, rather than large mining companies, as the opal can be elusive to find and is not found in great amounts when it is found. Once having reached the level of opal bearing sandstone, in present days by using a drilling rig which drills a one metre diameter shaft to the opal level, individual miners can start work with a jackhammer, a pick and an electric hoist which hoists the opal dirt to the surface from down the shaft. More expensive machinery such as a "blower" which acts like a giant vacuum cleaner, sucks up the toedirt up onto the surface.

From here, the opal bearing sandstone is "washed" in an agitator (like a cement mixer), rotated and washed with the dirt sludge being washed away leaving the "tailings". These tailings are then picked over carefully , looking for any opal amongst all the potch. At this stage, any opal found is classed as "rough" or raw opal - it is unprocessed. With rough opal it is a gamble as to whether it has faults within it or sand spots or the promise of a beautiful opal ! The next stage is a "rub". This is when sand and waste material is removed from the rough stone, revealing the possible potential and value of the stone. From here the final cutting and polishing of the gemstone takes place by an experienced opal cutter. Visiting Lightning Ridge ? Take a look at this video..... The lure of the black opal and this Australian Opal Mining town have been encapsulated 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. Cooberpedy .... Cooberpedy is another australian opal mining town situated about 845 klm from Adelaide, South Australia. The name of Cooberpedy seems to have come from the Aboriginal translation of "coober", meaning boy/white man and "pedy" meaning a hole. So the translation of the name took on the meaning of " white man down a hole". It was in 1915 that a 14 year old boy, Bill Hutchinson, first discovered Opal in this area by accident. He was the youngest member of a survey team when he wandered off, finding traces of opal. From that point on, Cooberpedy's history began.

Now a major percentage of the opal produced in the world comes from Cooberpedy. Surrounding Cooberpedy is a craterscape of mullock heaps,showing the opal mining that goes on. The opal is mined from the Coober Pedy Precious Stones Field which covers an area of just under 5,000 square kilometres - only a small area of this has been worked. Until the Stuart Highway was sealed in 1987, Coober Pedy was little more than an "outpost" in most respects. But it is still a place where people of many nationalities have come together - it is estimated that there are 45 different nationalities which makes it one of the most multicultural communities in Australia! It is a fascinating township where most of it's residents live underground, due to the heat and temperature that can reach to 50 deg.C in summer, or more. The idea of living underground is believed to have originally come from the influx of miners to Cooberpedy in who were returned soldiers who had been used to living in the trenches in Europe during World War 1 and understood the advantages of a constant temperature of a "dugout".

Some of these "dugouts" have been burrowed into hillsides, and in today's age, contain all the home comforts of modern living, as well as the escape away from the heat of the outside, with a constant comfortable temperature of living below ground. Cooberpedy can also boast a "grassless" golf course and an underground church , as well as many other unusual activites for the visitor like noodling for gems on the mullock heaps! Below is an Opal Video from "Discovery Channel" about the Australian opal mining town of Cooberpedy View a most beautiful and stunning "picture" O pal Mosaic handmade with Cooberpedy Opal! Opal Outback of Australia ! Andamooka .... Andamooka is a town located approximately 600 km north of Adelaide in South Australia. The town slowly developed after Opal was first discovered here in the 1920's and miners' camps quickly established themselves in the area. The town has a population of around 500 to 600 people, depending upon the season.

The main industry was opal mining for many years,but since the establishment of the copper-uranium mine some residents of Andamooka are now employed in the mine or in Roxby Downs. The climate is arid, with temperatures in summer regularly topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and night temperatures in winter often dropping to zero (32 degrees Fahrenheit) or below, and rainfall is very low with an average of 160 mm per year. Although the main road into Andamooka has now been sealed,remaining roads in the town are still unsealed. The few houses that are in Andamooka are made of fibro and corrugated iron, and many residents also live underground in dugouts like those of Cooberpedy.. Do You Enjoy Boulder Opal ? Read more here at... The Boulder Opal Mining Fields & Towns Of Queensland ! Are You Planning An Outback Adventure to our Australian Opal Mining Towns ? If you are planning to travel to the Australian Outback and Cooberpedy and are looking for lots of useful information... Explore the Australian Outback with Rita's Outback Guide. Discover Coober Pedy , the opal capital of the world.

The Outback Guide includes track descriptions, safety and driving tips, information about accommodation, Australian animals and more. Or, Want to know more about the country where opal is found? Why not consider a holiday in Australia’s unique Outback? Click here for Outback Secrets Subscribe to our RSS Mini-Blog ! If you would like to stay more immediately up to date for when we add new products or information to our Opals On Black website, then just click this Link to add our RSS to your chosen RSS Reader. Not familiar with RSS ? Just go to the Orange RSS Subscription Button under the Navigation Buttons on the top left side of the page. Click on "?" and find out how to RSS ! Opal Mining Opal Mining Opal Mining Opal mining at Lightning ridge. Before the opal miners start digging they apply for leases and prospect with a drilling rig. This drilling rig will go down to bedrock and take samples that will beanalysed for any opals. If opal is found they will drill one meter hole down on average 30 meters Then the opal miner will work with a jack hammer or earth moving equipment Strong blowers will lift the dirt to the top and place in truck.

In past hoist systems would be operated to lift dirt to the surface The trucks would take dirt to agitator set up on pond and the dirt would be washed to expose opals. There is only a few open cut mines at Lightning ridge as expensive bonds and running costs are required to operate open cut opal mines. Lightning Ridge Landscape Drilling Rig in action Opal Miners Camp Opal dirt dumped into truck- Trucks dumping at pond site Note trucks on wall of pond- new Agitator -old dry agitator no water needed to operate this machinery. Australian opal fields have a long and colourful history. Here you can find fascinating insights into our most well known fields. The area marked in white below indicates where the ancient Artisian inland sea once lay within this area Australia’s most famous opal fields operate. All types of precious opal are found in this vast area. The area marked in dark grey indicates where the state of Queensland’s opal fields are found, home to the boulder opal. Find information state by state on Australia’s most famous opal fields.

STATE Lightning Ridge (black opal), White Cliffs Queensland Koroit, Yowah, Jundah Opal Mining in Australia covers thevast area of Queensland that has Boulder opal to NSW which has black opal at Lightning Ridge to the south Australian opal fields that have crystal opal. Australian opal fields are so unique in the world. Opals from Queensland are mined on ironstone backing and black opals have unique black potch and Coober Pedy has many crystals formed as seam opals or fossil. Each area is so unique opal miners can easily distinguish between what area the opal came from but experienced opals miners can even tell at what level or what area from an opal field that the opal came from. The Mining of Opal Opal is well-known as a valuable gemstone which is generated from non-crystalline silica gel. It is composed of 2 to 5% of water and tiny silica spheres which are arranged in a standard pattern. It usually measures 5.5 up to 6.5 and based on MOH’s solidity’s scale with diamonds gaining a scale score of9 to 10. It is a birthstone for October.

During 1849, Opal was was found at a cattle station known as Tarrawilla, in Angaston. Nearly, 95% of the Opal is discovered in Australia. However, a small number has beenfound in areas like the USA, Brazil and Mexico. New opal fields in Ethiopia look promising. There are three main Opal mining districts in Australia that generate diverse types of Opal. Most of the Opal deposits are found in New South Wales and South Australia and Queensland. Each field producesopals with certainfeatures and color patterns. Lightning Ridge is considered as the most famous and magnificent black opal. Coober Pedy is well-known for its Milky Opals. At present itsopal fields include an area of roughly 45 kilometers. The Andamooka field is in the southwestern part of Coober Pedy in mostly desert country. Andamooka is one of Australia’s most prominent Opal fields, having generated some of the most striking pieces of Opal including the one known as the ‘Queens Gem’. Most of these opal fields within the Andamooka area generate crystal, dark, gem, and light Opal.

Opal regularly occurs in both sedimentary rocks and volcanic form. In fact, there is a variety of methods in mining an Opal. Generally, there is a far-reaching documentation that shows a collection for an Australian Opal. Methods of opal mining Drop a shaft: This is the simplest way of mining Opal through the use of shovel and pick. A shaft is submerged directly until some “Opal dirt” is exposed. The span of the shaft could be as too small as three meters or as extensive as 20 meters. A screwdriver or handpick is used to take out with any Opal found because of the weakness of the stone. However due to government regulations it is getting harder and more expensive for this type mining operation Open cut mining: This procedure is done by the use of large equipment ,bulldozers ,excavators,to eliminate huge amount of dirt around the Opal nearer to the face for inspection. This technique is more exclusive and is typically used to explore Boulder Opal in Central Queensland. Noodling: Some have taken to huge scale machine noodling by permitting huge quantities of dirt around the Opal on a conveyer belt beneath ultra-violet light, which determines the valuable Opal.

Puddling and Rumbling: A puddler is a hefty mesh-lined drum fixed into a motor. These machines spin and twist the clay into the mire as water is forced into the drum. This mire runs through the mesh. An associated technique is known as dry rumbling. The infamous Hayricks Mine with founder Joe Knehr, 1929 Yowah Opal Fields, mined since 1884 This dummy with the sign reading “ratter” underneath is an indication of what miners think of people stealing opal from their mines Very old photo of typical miners and camp in the early 1900s (White Cliffs field) Australian Opal Mining Industry Currently, Australia produces approximately 95 per cent of the world’s opal from sedimentary rocks in central Australia. Other countries which produce minor amounts of opal include Honduras, Mexico, former Czechoslovakia and Brazil. With the exception of Brazilian opal, which is sediment-hosted, opal in these countries occurs in volcanic rocks. Sedimentary opal is superior in quality to volcanic opal. All of Australia’s significant opal deposits are situated within or adjacent to the margins of the Great Australian Basin.

The characteristics of opal deposits vary from field to field. The highest value stones are black opals from Lightning Ridge. Gem quality opals vary enormously in price. Unprocessed top quality black opal is currently worth up to $10,000 per carat. Lesser quality opal varies considerably in price depending on the type of opal, its colour, impurities and defects. The value of the industry to the Australian economy is unknown owing to its fragmented nature and inadequate official records. Production figures of between $100 Million and $200 Million per annum for uncut gems are generally quoted. Estimates from the various State governments support the more conservative figure. Historically, opal mining has been the preserve of the small-scale miner, although each of the opal States (South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland) has either enacted legislation or begun promotion to encourage the larger-scale explorer and miner. Despite the vast expanse of potential opal-bearing rocks in central Australia, only one new opal centre (Lambina in South Australia) and few new significant discoveries away from existing centres have been made in the last 70 years. Was this article helpful?

Gem Fossicking Australia - Opal Information & Locations Opal Information Opal is Australia’s National Gemstone; it is highly prized by many and is extremely valuable in monitory terms. Opal is best described as amorphous silica, a solidified jelly that has no crystal structure. It generally contains up to 13% water. Precious opal reflects light with a play of brilliant colours across the visible spectrum red being the most valued. These colours flash and change as the stone is viewed from different directions. This is caused by minute voids and other internal impurities. Opal is used extensively in Jewellery and is now commonly sold in places like Ebay and other online jewellery websites. Where to Find Opal Vitreous to Subvitreous Types of Opal Varying types of Opal are found at many locations throughout Australia. Generally grouped around the great Artesian Basin or what is commonly referred to in earlier times as the inland sea. Popular locations are in South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. There is opportunity in each state for the avid or casual fossicker; or in opal circles the term "Noodling" is used instead of fossicking.

Queensland Boulder Opal Opal Fields in Queensland stretch in a north-westerly direction from the New South Wales border at Hungerford through Yowah , west of Cunnamulla, Longreach and Winton to Kynuna a distance of approximately 1000 kilometres. Two main fields are attractive to fossickers, these are Yowah and Opalton . Black Opal Country - Lightning Ridge NSW Lightning Ridge is an outback Town that has its origins in the Opal mining activities in and around the district. It is renowned for its precious Black Opal and is sought after throughout the world. Other popular fossicking fields are Grawin and White Cliffs located in New South Wales. Opal Care Looking after Opal Opals are brittle gemstones due to the amount of water within their structure and are subject to cracking if exposed to sudden or extreme changes in temperature or humidity. Loss of water causes loss of iridescence; therefore, oiling the stone will reduce water loss. You should also avoid contact with detergents which tend to dry out the water within the opal. Opal Charm Mystical Power - Opal It is believed that Black Opal is an extremely lucky stone.

Black Opals set in a gold necklace and worn near the heart will protect one from the evil eye and protect Travellers on long journeys. In medieval times it was believed that Opal had healing properties. Fire Opal was said to heal eye disease. Black Opal was believed to heal reproductive organs, spleen and pancreas disease, it also was said to filter red corpuscles' and aids white corpuscles'. White Opal was believed to balance the left and right hemispheres of the brain for neuro disorders. Advertising Buying Gemstones in Australia at AJS Gems Diamonds from Argyle Mine, Australia Australia is one of the great gem markets in the world, and Australians have a deep appreciation for fine gemstones . Perhaps it is the strong Australian economy and the high standard of living, or perhaps the fact that Australia itself produces some outstanding gems, especially diamond, opal and sapphire. The huge Argyle diamond desposit in Western Australia was first discovered in 1979 and by the late 1980's Australia had become the world's largest producer of natural diamonds, with about one third of the world production.

However, about 50% of the production is industrial grade diamonds, with 45% near gem quality and 5% gem quality. Australia is most famous for valuable pink diamonds as well as champagne and cognac colors. Australian Sapphire Sapphire has been mined in New South Wales and Queensland since the early part of the 20th century. By the early 1980's Australia had become the largest producer in the world of commercial grade sapphire. Most of the Australian blue sapphire was very dark with color zoning and a greenish dichroism, and this limited the market opportunity. But in the 1960's the Thai gem dealers figured out a way to lighten the color of this material by heat treatment. However, by the mid-1980's Australian sapphire was supplanted by higher quality Thai and then Madagascar sapphire , and the Australian production has declined. Large scale sapphire mining is no longer economic in Australia. Black Opal Opal is the gem where Australia leads on both quality and quantity. Until recently, Australia produced about 95% of the world's supply of opal, and all of the black opal.

Most opal comes from South Australia (Andamooka, Coober Pedy and Mintabie) with black opal from Lightning Ridge in New South Wales. In 2008, a major find of light base opal in Ethiopia posed major competition to Australian opal, with prices about 30% below the Australian material. Australia is also the source for a number of semi-precious gems such as chrysoprase , zircon, amethyst, sodalite, chrysoberyl, chrysocolla and coral. Australians are avid buyers of high quality gems of all sorts, and many Australians buy their gems online , chiefly from gem dealers in Thailand . Even most Australian gems are cheaper in Thailand, since that is where much of the rough stone is cut and polished. But many of the gem varieties popular with Australian buyers, including ruby , tsavorite garnet and tourmaline , are not found in Australia at all. - Opal - Rock Files - Australian Mines Atlas View a PDF version of this Rock File. General Does someone in your family own a ring or pendant that contains an opal? An opal is a 'gemstone' - that is, a mineral valued for its beauty.

Gemstones are most often used in jewellery and examples include diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, jade, opals and amethysts. Gems generally get their colour because of certain metals contained in the mineral (for example amethyst is quartz containing tiny amounts of iron) however opals are unique because they display many different colours. Properties Opals are multi-coloured. Opals consist of small spheres of silica arranged in a regular pattern, with water between the spheres. The spheres diffract white light, breaking it up into the colours of the spectrum. This process is called 'opalescence'. Larger spheres provide all colours, smaller ones only blues and greens. White opals have delicate, pale colours on a lighter background. Black opals (very rare and valuable) have a dark background and colours ranging from brilliant red through to greens, blues and purples. Boulder opals are cut with the natural host rock, ironstone, on the back. Opals have the same hardness as glass (5.5 - 6.5) If you move the stone, light hits the spheres from different angles and brings about a change in colour.

Opal comes from the Greek opallos meaning 'to see a change (of colour)' Uses Photo courtesy of Office of Minerals and Energy Resources, PIRSA Opal is found around the world (Brazil, Mexico, Honduras and the western US) however Australia produces 95% of the world's precious opal. White opal was first mined commercially at Listowel Downs in Queensland in 1875. Today, Coober Pedy (SA) is the main white opal centre, Lightning Ridge (NSW) the world's only source of black opal, and boulder opals are mined in Central Queensland. Opal is one of the few minerals which can be mined economically by a miner working alone. The miner digs a shaft using a pick and shovel, uses explosives or a pick to dig out earth sideways from that, then uses a small handpick or even a screwdriver to extract any opal traces found. 'Noodling' is when people search through old mullock heaps (see left) for pieces of opal that might have been missed in the initial mining operation.

However, since the 1970s machines have been gradually taking over from hand mining methods, along with the use of radar and electric currents to find possible opal-rich areas. Once mined, opal ore is then sifted to separate the hard material, which is then tested for any signs of colour. After that, opal sorting is done by hand and requires a keen eye to see for signs of 'colour in the rough'. Amazing Facts Opal artifacts several thousands of years old have been discovered in East Africa. As early as 250 BC the Romans prized opals, thought to have come from mines in eastern Europe, the world's main source of opals until 1932 when Australia took over as the major producer. In 1915 a group of people were prospecting for gold at the edge of the Great Victoria Desert northwest of Adelaide. Making camp one night, a 14 year old boy found an opal. This started an 'opal rush' and soon the settlement of the Stuart Range Opal Field was founded.

Today's main white opal centre is the town of Coober Pedy, whose name comes from the aboriginal name Kupa Pita, which means 'White man in a hole or burrow'. In Coober Pedy many people have built their homes in old mine shafts (calling them dugouts) or in low hills because in summer the temperature goes over 50 degrees Celsius. Try Noodling for Your Opals in Coober Pedy - latimes YOU ARE HERE: LAT Home → Collections THE TIMES SHOPPER June 03, 1990 |JENNIFER MERIN COOBER PEDY, Australia — At first glance, you wonder why anyone other than kangaroos would live in this isolated outback town. The answer: opals. Coober Pedy is one of the world's opal capitals. Australia produces about 95% of the world's supply of the fiery gemstone, and much of it comes from Coober Pedy.

On the town's outskirts, the parched terrain of opal fields is pockmarked by probably 100,000 mine shafts sunk into sand and rock, and dotted by piles of rubble that have sprouted around the mines. An ounce of rock--the right rock--taken from one of these mines can net $18,000 to $20,000. That's reason enough for the town's 4,000 citizens to brave desolation and live with temperatures that soar above 100 degrees for much of the year. The name Coober Pedy comes from kupa piti, aboriginal for "white man in a hole." It's appropriate, because most citizens work underground and about a third live underground in dwellings carved out of the hills. Dusty and unpaved, the main street looks like the set for a Hollywood Western, but it's lined with opal outlets. Shops are all weathered wood, but inside, shoppers will find polished glass and gleaming gems. The 18 opal shops offer all grades of stone and provide certificates stating stone type and weight. Prices are exceptionally good because the competition is keen.

The best strategy is to meander from the Desert Cave Underground Display to the Opal Factory to Radeka's Underground Display to the Discount Opal House to Peter's Opal Boutique--as many shops as possible to get the best deal on the prettiest stone you can find. Coober Pedy opal is light blue-green with fiery streaks of orange and yellow. Loose or set, stones are sold by karat (at 152 karats per ounce), and value is determined by color and fire. Rare and expensive is the solid or cabochon opal that is thick enough to show the depth of color and intensity of fire; it averages about $120 to $150 per karat. Exceptional stones cost whatever the market will bear. Local vendors claim these are the world's best prices. Shopkeepers in Adelaide and other Australian cities who dispute this would be hard put to display cheaper or matching tags. Stones of lesser color and fire, or those that are too thin to be cut as solid opals, are prepared as "doublets," thin slices of opal glued to darker backing that enhances the stone's color and fire.

"Triplets" are doublets capped with thin slices of clear quartz; they cost about a third the price of solid stones. "Potch" opal, almost colorless, has little value except as a souvenir. The opal's special properties make it challenging to cutters. It is softer than diamonds and colored gemstones and doesn't have their crystalline structure. To bring out the full range of fire and color, opal roughs are cut and polished into smooth, round shapes, rather than being faceted like diamonds or colored gemstones. Even a stone that is almost flat may have an extraordinary brilliance. Avoid buying synthetic or treated stones and beware of sellers who offer doublets or triplets as solid opals. Though the problem is unlikely here, buyers elsewhere should check opals under light for ridges of dirt and/or other signs of cracking within the stone. Most shops have displays and/or pamphlets about opal's formation and chemical composition. Opal was highly valued by the Romans, who obtained gemstones from traders in the Middle East. They believed opals came from India (the Roman word opalus is based on an ancient Indian word, upala , meaning precious stone).

But the stones the Romans bought were probably mined in Hungary, which remained the only source of opal known to Europeans until conquering Spaniards returned from the New World with beautiful Aztec opals mined in Mexico. Precious opals were found in Australia in 1890 at White Cliffs in New South Wales. Mining began at Opalton in Queensland in 1896, and at Lightning Ridge (famous for black opals) in New South Wales in 1905. In 1914, opal was discovered at Coober Pedy by a 14-year-old boy who was with his father's gold prospecting party. By 1916, mining was well established. Coober Pedy became the world's leading opal producer, a position it maintained until it was outstripped recently by Mintabe, a remote mining settlement about 220 miles to the northwest. But Coober Pedy is still the best bet for tourists. Its citizens are a hardy, international bunch representing more than 40 nationalities, most of whom derive an income from either opal mining or tourism.

It's best to visit from June through September, when milder temperatures in the 80s prevail. People come to see how an outback town functions, to overnight in underground hotels, to shop for opal bargains. Some try their hand for a day or two at ferreting out an opal or two from piles of discarded dirt and rocks that have accumulated around the mine shafts. Sifting through already extracted rock and dirt is called noodling or fossicking and is a popular, sometimes productive pastime. All that's needed is a spade, pail, good vision, sun screen and a lot of luck. You get to keep what you find, and that attracts visitors as well as residents who noodle from dawn to dusk. The chances of finding very valuable stones are slim, but there are tales of tourists who found opals that later turned out to be worth thousands of dollars. Coober Pedy is about 450 miles northwest of Adelaide. It's 10 hours by bus. Opal Air and Kendall Air fly you here in two hours.

For more information on transportation, lodgings and tours, contact Tourism South Australia, 2121 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1210, Los Angeles 90067, (213) 552-2821. MORE: How to find OPAL by Noodling | Liz Kreate - YouTube How to find OPAL by Noodling | Liz Kreate Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Oct 17, 2012 Prospecting for Gems can be a rewarding hobby. Here at White Cliffs, Australia, anyone can "Noodle" for Opals and knowing what to look for can be a bit tricky. Tips and tricks for a productive trip.

Question: Noodling is the Australian term for the mining of which gemstone?
Answer: Opal