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While opal mining around the town had slumped in the early 1940s, it picked up after a local Aboriginal woman, Tottie Bryant, discovered a large deposit in 1945. [24] In August 1956 at the 'Eight Mile' opal field, the Olympic Australis opal was found approximately 30 feet below the ground. It is the largest and one of the most valuable opals ...
"Natural" opal refers to polished stones consisting wholly of precious opal. Opals too thin to produce a "natural" opal may be combined with other materials to form "composite" gems. An opal doublet consists of a relatively thin layer of precious opal, backed by a layer of dark-colored material, most commonly ironstone, dark or black common ...
The opal was found at a depth of 9.1 metres (30 ft). The Olympic Australis opal was named in honor of the Olympic Games, which were being held in Melbourne in the year of the opal's discovery. It consists of 99% gem opal with an even colour throughout the stone, and has been left in a natural state, unpolished and uncut with blemishes. [4]
In fact, as it gets darker around the opal, the opal appears ever more vibrant. The stone's vivid and sparkly nature is in stark contrast to Coober Pedy, Australia where it was discovered.
The opal is just under 5,000 carats; roughly equivalent in size to two cricket balls. [1] Although rough-cut, it is polished on two sides. [3] Due to the evaporation of an inland sea several million years ago, South Australia is one of the few places on Earth where opals of this size can be created.
The Yowah opal field in the Shire of Paroo. The Yowah nut is a type of precious opal, found within the Yowah opal fields situated in Yowah, Shire of Paroo, South West Queensland, Australia since the latter part of the 19th century. [1] These opals are known for their distinctive nut-like shape, opalescent patterns, and vibrant colours.
Biogenic silica (bSi), also referred to as opal, biogenic opal, or amorphous opaline silica, forms one of the most widespread biogenic minerals. For example, microscopic particles of silica called phytoliths can be found in grasses and other plants. Silica is an amorphous metalloid oxide formed by complex inorganic polymerization processes.
Ammolite is an opal-like organic gemstone found primarily along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains of North America.It is commonly unearthed by natural erosion or through the process of various mining practices, within the perimeter of an ancient sea bed called the Western Interior Seaway. [2]