(South Australia, which encompasses a vast arid area in the south and middle of Australia, produces more than 90% of the world’s precious opal, according to Oldman.) Oldman said it would have ...

Cloaked in white dust and surrounded by expansive plains, the town of Lightning Ridge produces the bulk of the world’s precious black opal. This rare gemstone, prized for its dazzling play of ...

in an attempt to resolve it peacefully." Opal is a mineraloid that falls under the category of precious or common, depending on its iridescence and density. Precious opal was particularly highly ...

Opal is the traditional birthstone for October. It is believed the stone was discovered in India and given the name "upala," or "precious stone" in Sanskrit, the Geological Institute of America ...

Australia produces about 95% of the world's precious opal, and it's designated as that country's national gemstone. The prominent butte, right in the city center of Castle Rock, is a popular spot ...

Opal is composed of silica, and it comes in two main varieties: common and precious opals, the latter of which is commonly associated with the month of October, says Woodward. According to Larkin ...

Opalised mussels found near Lightning Ridge.(Supplied: Bob Smith) Common opal can be found all over the world, but the precious, coloured opal of Lightning Ridge is exceedingly rare.

While Mexico, Brazil, Honduras and the United States also have mines, Australia officially claims that "95% of the world's precious opals" come from its territory. Since the 1970s, shovels ...