Unique treasures uncovered
Cutting opal is a special skill that can be witnessed first-hand
Opal fever started with a great stroke of luck for Opals Down Under manager Scott Coggan almost twenty years ago. On a humid day after a huge storm in outback Queensland, Scott and his father were exploring the abandoned open-cut Gypson Mine south of Winton when Scott's father discovered a large boulder.
"I was probably 100 metres away at the top of the huge open-cut mine, when he yelled out to me that he would give me 10% of whatever it yielded to carry out the 35kg boulder," Scott said.
Scott declined and has regretted it ever since, as the boulder contained opal that, when processed, would be worth about $30,000 today. Scott's fascination with opals grew from there, but instead of mining he found he was far better at cutting and processing opal. Today, he manages Opals Down Under, one of the few opal shops in the country where you can view the cutting process in action.
"Opal processing is such a rare skill achieved by only a select few people in Australia, and I have the privilege to be one of them," he said. "This puts me in a great position to help educate others about the beauty and uniqueness of opal. I think when people watch me work they often get a new respect for our national gemstone."
There is no gemstone more Australian than the opal, and Australia is responsible for 95% of the world's production. Opals were formed millions of years ago when parts of the country were covered by a vast inland sea and stone sediment was deposited along the shoreline. As the water evaporated, a silica solution remained in natural faults and cativies left by fossils, and over time the silica transformed into opal. The opal colour is created by the diffraction of light through tiny silicon spheres within the stone.
"Each piece of opal has a unique quality of its own, almost like a personality," Scott said.
Miners sell unprocessed opals to specialists, like Opals Down Under, in parcels. They can vary in size, but generally speaking a parcel of uncut opal would probably fit into a small bowl.
"We source black opal from Lightning Ridge, boulder opal from Winton, Quilpie and Yowah and white opals from areas like Coober Pedy and Andamooka," Scott explained. "By buying rough opal direct from professional miners on the opal fields we are able to keep our prices competitive. Every time I buy a rough parcel of opal it is with excitement and apprehension because you can never be too sure of what you are going to get once the opal has been processed."
When a parcel arrives Scott sets to work cutting his purchase. This process involves shaping the opal on diamond grinding wheels then polishing to display the brilliant opal colours.
"It is not until the opal has been fully cut and polished that its true beauty can be really appreciated," he said.
Some of the gems Scott cuts are left as unset stones. Buyers can then choose their stone and have it set into the jewellery of their choice. Others are sent off to specialist opal jewellers to be set into pendants, rings, earrings or brooches. When you choose an opal you can be sure no one in the entire world has one like it, and you will want to take good care of your treasure.
"Many people believe solid opals can be damaged by water - however, this is not true," Scott said. "In fact, most precious opal contains about 5-6% water."
To see a live opal cutting demonstration, please contact us, or visit Opals Down Under. Booking ahead is recommended.
Source: Adapted from an article by Sarah Pye, COAST magazine, Winter 2007
Photos by Lou O'Brien (Sunshine Coast Daily)