Regular readers already know that while we love fine jewelry of every description, at Anderson-Beattie we have a special affection for opals. That means we also have a special affinity for October ... and it has nothing to do with Pumpkin Spice. October is the month of opals. opal is October's original birthstone as laid out by the 1870 poem published by Tiffany & Co. The verse for October reads: October‘s child is born for woe, And life’s vicissitudes must know, But lay an opal on her breast, And hope will lull those woes to rest. Later, Tourmaline was added as a second birthstone for October. Some said this was added to expand the birthstones to reflect more of Nature's beauty. Others, however, say the second stone was added to October (a few other months also had a second stone added) in order to give a more affordable option to people who wanted birthstone jewelry. Opals have become some of the most highly sought after gemstones in the world of fine jewelry. The interest is a welcome trend for opal jewelers as well as Australia, where opals are mined. At the same time, people with an interest in preservation as well as supporting local communities have lobbied to ensure the exploration and mining of these precious gemstones remains something that helps, rather than hinders, Australia.

How Opals Are Mined

Opal is unique in many ways but perhaps its most unique characteristic is in how it is formed and how it can be mined. Unlike many other gemstones, various forms of opal can be mined quite safely and economically even by a lone, independent miner. The process of how opal is mined is old, but simple. Essentially a hole is dug in an area believed to hold an opal deposit. As explorers probe and explore an area, they branch out from the original shaft they dug in order to look for seams of opal deposits. Lightning Ridge, an area in New South Wales, Australia, has more than 60 'fields' which have yielded nearly all of the Black opals found in in today's market. It has also become the place where the future of opal mining may change forever.

Lightning Ridge

You can't learn about opal mining without learning a whole lot about Lightning Ridge. Lightning Ridge is technically a small town in NSW Australia. While the town itself is small geographically, its impact on the opal market is huge. It is the undisputed and highly respected epicenter when it comes to Black opals as well as other opal gemstones. Opals aren't the only thing found in Lightning Ridge's hot and arid climate. It is also a well known area in the world of paleontology. Paleontologists have found fossils of ancient mammals as well as plenty of aquatic plants and other animal. This is due in large part to the fact that the sandstone that makes up the ridge today was once the bottom of a small inland sea. Some of the fossils found in the area date as far back as 110 million years ago. Even more interesting, many of these fossils have been opalised and found during the opal mining process.

Opalized Ammonite (Reddit)

For generations, people have come to Lightning Ridge to make or seek their fortune. It has, over the years, also become home to an eclectic mix of people. From those seeking out their fortune to those seeking out their place in the world, Lightning Ridge appears to have it all. The people of this town are just as amazing and multi-dimensional as the gemstones they seek.

The Strength of People

Lightning Ridge has always been a town set apart. The high stakes opal game has always attracted a special kind of person. It takes a sense of adventure, a willingness to risk it all and, of course, strength to defend what's yours. Areas of lands are staked out, plots are registered and people simply get to work. Some people begin the day without a spare penny to their name and by the time the sun goes down, they're rich. Of course, that doesn't happen to everyone and there's plenty of poverty in the area. This has caused some unique challenges over the years. Challenges which have needed to be met by locals. One such issue was how to deal with the dead. Over the years, people lived their lives out looking for treasure or simply disengaging from mainstream society by settling in Lightning Ridge. Many of them die penniless and without any local familial ties. Add to that the fact that Lightning Ridge is an outback town with access only by unpaved roads adn with an intimidating wild kangaroo population nearby, it's no wonder undertakers haven't exactly flocked to serve the area. That's why, more than two decades ago, locals decided they would take the matter into their own hands. For the past 20 years, local miners have steeped up as amateur undertakers. Here, the men and women who work, toiled, celebrated and commiserated with their fellow miners are often the same ones who ready them for their final resting place. While a bit morbid, it's the perfect example for how strong, creative, tenacious and resourceful you need to be if you were going to make it in Lightning Ridge. It also provides a clear illustration of the compassion and sense of community these miners have for each other.

The Future of Opal Mining

While the people of Lightning Ridge were originally attracted to the area thanks to its reputation for opportunity, its future in terms of opal mining has recently come into question. In the 1990s there was a boom in the opal market with people quite literally flocking to the area in order to find their fortune. As with any natural commodity, however, things are changing for the opal market in Lightning Ridge. While the 1990s saw a windfall for miners, the national Australian government was able to see that it was a resource which needed to be protected. That was the motivation for exacting the Mining Act of 1992 which addressed a host of issues already facing the industry as well as looking forward to protect the resource, the industry and the land. This forward thinking resulted in extra protections being in place before the newest area of opal exploration - called OPA 4 - was opened. In order for people to gain access to mining in this new area, they must agree to conditions set out in a part of that 1992 Mining Act. Miners must agree to the following conditions:

• Ensure the mineral bearing capacity of the license area is adequately researched.
• Prevent, minimize, and/or offset adverse environmental impacts.
• Ensure the area disturbed by prospecting activities is appropriately rehabilitated.

It is hoped these measures will not only protect the mines, but also the industry as a whole. That means more than just the resources that pump tens of millions of dollars into the local economy - but also the people behind that economy. That's also the motivation behind Lightning Ridge moving away from depending on opal mining entirely to support the town. As the years go on, more and more people are setting up shop in and near Lightning Ridge not to mine, but to share the history and beauty of opals. The area is now home to art galleries, mine tours and even hot natural baths. The character and history behind this area is beginning to bloom in a whole new way. Not only is tourism in the area growing, local miners have even set up a Facebook page in order to share the happenings of Lightning Ridge with the world. Locals hope that the future will bring a time when the opal mining industry works hand in hand with tourism and social media to bring these beautiful gemstones to the world while sharing their story and history at the same time.

Opals and Culture - The Most Beautiful Connection

Opals have a strong connection to the people who mine it just as it did with the people who first discovered it. opals have a long and rich history in connection with people. Its dazzling color and formations have made it a natural conduit for stories, myths and legends. Ancient people have stories about it being able to heal and see the future and opals have also been the focus of music and literature. The jewels were also revered for their intricate beauty long before people fully understood how these amazing gemstones are formed which led to some interesting ideas. The Bedouins, foe example, believed opals held a flash of lightning that fell from the sky, hit the rocks and became trapped inside the gem. Others compared the dynamic colors and displays within opals to everything from fireworks and volcanoes to the colors found up above in the sky at night. Ancient Greeks believed these gemstones could bring someone the gift of prophesy or Second Sight. Many at the time also believed the gemstones could ward off disease. Europeans, meanwhile, saw the gemstones as a symbol of truth, purity and hope. For a long time they were also seen as possessing all of the virtues of any colored gemstone making them especially powerful and well-respected by those who believed in and practiced the use of healing stones. Over time, however, a different view of opals began to emerge. One that characterized these gemstones not as healing but as hurtful. A sense of superstition began to form around opals until they were seen as unlucky stones. These issues may have started with miners themselves since opal has a tendency to fracture during mining, cutting and setting. Today we know this makes it a challenge to work with and provides all the more reason to work with only the best in the business. Back then, however, it led to people seeing the stone as simply unlucky. Later, Sir Walter Scott’s novel Anne of Geierstein would add to the mix. In the novel, an opal breaks the spell of Lady Hermione's enchantment. The popularity of the book led many to believe that opals were, in fact, cursed. While these issues did lead to a fall in interest when it came to opals, it didn't last long. The fact of the matter is, an opal's beauty is simply undeniable. It was only a matter of time before the attraction to these gemstones grew. Today, some people still connect opals with mystery but the idea of them being cursed seems to have finally died off. In fact, more than a few people have since made their fortunes by mining these gemstones. The community that has sprung up around the mining of opals have become a phenomenon all their own. At the end of the day, the opal industry isn't just about gemstones. It's about people. The people who mine opals, the people who fashion them into wearable works of art and, of course, the people who use them proudly to accent or finish their look. opals are so well loved, in part, because they are so much like us. They're unique, diverse and finding the right one can enrich your life. The future of opal mining remains bright thanks in large part to the enduring and resourceful spirit of the people determined to bring it to the rest of the world. Lightning Ridge remains the only home of black opals so its fields are monitored closely. For many years the focus has been primarily on the opals themselves but now the residents have begun to share their own histories, the story of opal mining as told by people who have dedicated their lives. This approach of sharing history while working to mine these gemstones responsibly is the greatest hope we have for the future of opal mining.