Wed 10 Oct, 2018
Australia has long been the largest supplier of precious opal in the world, but with the last decade seeing an influx of hyrdophane opal from Ethiopia, this could be pushing the need to review the classification system for opal.
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Tue 21 Aug, 2018
Earlier this year, there was news that the South Australian opal-mining town of Mintabie would be closed by the South Australian Government, possibly due to a report stating numerous incidents within the township (which were brought to the attention of the police).
Read more Comment (0)Tue 17 Apr, 2018
Opals take Gold at Commonwealth Games!
All of us here at Opals Down Under are ecstatic at the recent win by Australian Women’s Basketball team, the Opals, taking home the Gold at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Despite having to play more than half the game without Australian star, Liz Cambage, the Opals still remained dominant against the English team.
Read more Comment (0)Tue 6 Feb, 2018
Recently, we had the pleasure of working with US-based artists, Lakeside Pottery (Patty and Morty), who purchased two of our Queensland Boulder Opals to be inset into a custom Kintsugi vase.
Read more Comment (0)Tue 28 Nov, 2017
With the (very) recent announcement of the engagement between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, after a small amount of research, it has been noticed that the future Duchess had chosen to wear White Opal Earrings, in a very classic style.
Read more Comment (0)Mon 6 Nov, 2017
Wow, this year has gone fast! It’s already time to start finalising your online orders with us, to ensure that they will arrive in time for Christmas.
Please see below recommended deadlines for Domestic (within Australia) and International orders in order for you to receive your, well, order in time.
Read more Comment (0)Tue 26 Sep, 2017
There’s a ‘new’ form of synthetic opal circulating now, and some could be easily fooled with its apparent ‘potch’ lines.
Monarch Opal has begun appearing on quite a few online sites, with retailers selling it as Monarch Opal, but without mention of it being natural, synthetic or man-made. This is a problem, no doubt.
Read more Comment (0)Thu 18 May, 2017
For all you die-hard Australian Opal fans out there, whether trading, cutting, mining, or just pure admirers of it, the Opal Assoociation has made us aware of The Australian Opal Show Circuit - a series of shows (mostly open to the public), that are run from April until August every year.
Read more Comment (0)Wed 10 May, 2017
For over a decade we had a big, bright lightbox street sign lighting the way at the beginning of Ballantyne Court (we're #11, so towards the other end of the cul-de-sac). It was a subtle form of advertising, but more so, it directed traffic to us.
Read more Comment (0)Wed 22 Mar, 2017
A new opal rush has begun in Coober Pedy (South Australia), where opal miners in the hundreds have gathered to participate in a ballot which will allow them to mine in areas untouched for nearly four decades.
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