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Gemstones, Minerals & Fossils
Gemstones and Minerals
Opals in Western Australia
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<blockquote data-quote="user 4386" data-source="post: 508765" data-attributes="member: 4386"><p>Shakergt, you say you are looking in Western Australia (many of the replies relate to other states). I have some knowledge of most of Australia's opal fields. Firstly, there are geological reasons why I cannot get excited about WA. There is always the possibility of finds of a different geological type to the major Australian fields (none of which are in WA), but people have been looking for a long time. Not a place that I would look.</p><p></p><p>I have a specimen of the Coolgardie precious opal that I collected in the 1960s - it is in very thin veinlets in quartz veins and probably formed in quite a different way to the important opal fields elsewhere. It has proved of no significance so far. Such minor oddities turn up at times (eg Beechworth in Victoria, coastal New England). But all important occurrences are in the Eromanga and Surat Basins and in older rocks on their immediate margins (e.g. Mintabie). That is - NSW, SA, Qld.</p><p></p><p>There is some confusion about "Fire Opal". True fire opal does not get the high price of Australian precious opal. It used to be important in Hungary and more recently in Mexico. Not all that fancy...lacks any play of colours as well as lacking the lustre of crystalline gems.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://geology.com/gemstones/opal/fire-opal.shtml" target="_blank">https://geology.com/gemstones/opal/fire-opal.shtml</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="user 4386, post: 508765, member: 4386"] Shakergt, you say you are looking in Western Australia (many of the replies relate to other states). I have some knowledge of most of Australia's opal fields. Firstly, there are geological reasons why I cannot get excited about WA. There is always the possibility of finds of a different geological type to the major Australian fields (none of which are in WA), but people have been looking for a long time. Not a place that I would look. I have a specimen of the Coolgardie precious opal that I collected in the 1960s - it is in very thin veinlets in quartz veins and probably formed in quite a different way to the important opal fields elsewhere. It has proved of no significance so far. Such minor oddities turn up at times (eg Beechworth in Victoria, coastal New England). But all important occurrences are in the Eromanga and Surat Basins and in older rocks on their immediate margins (e.g. Mintabie). That is - NSW, SA, Qld. There is some confusion about "Fire Opal". True fire opal does not get the high price of Australian precious opal. It used to be important in Hungary and more recently in Mexico. Not all that fancy...lacks any play of colours as well as lacking the lustre of crystalline gems. [url]https://geology.com/gemstones/opal/fire-opal.shtml[/url] [/QUOTE]
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Gemstones, Minerals & Fossils
Gemstones and Minerals
Opals in Western Australia
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