Next destination was Lightning
Ridge, where the worlds most rare
and precious opals, the Black
Opals, are found. Opals are very
popular due to the variety in
colours, effect and shape. After
getting some information it
appeared possible to get a tour
around the opal fields. And maybe
you had the possibility to scratch
in a heap of dirt for chips of
opals. The active mines were of
course out of bounds. Top quality
opals yield 25.000 dollar per carat
and so strangers are kept at a safe
distance. We were warned never
enter a claim uninvited, as this is
considered trespassing. So we tried
another strategy. We had a chat
with a miner and his wife and after
a few hours chatting we were
invited in their mine. After a
rough ride over unpaved roads we
arrived at the mine and the process
was explained. The opal is found in
seams or pockets. To find them,
deep underground corridors were
digged out. The dirt was then
washed in a modified cement mixer
and flushed with water. The
remaining stones were all checked
for opals. The stones were
selected, cut and polished and sold
to traders and anyone who would buy
opals.
Many washing installations, here called agitators or Aggies, are in a row, on a dike. From a lake down the dike, the water is pumped into the machine.
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