What is the lure of the opal ?
Less than 1% of the miners ever discover a significant strike
According to the records of the South Australian department of Mines, less than ONE percent of the miners ever discover a significant strike.
Even though the probability of payback is less than that of the slot machines at Las Vegas, the lure of the opal draws thousands of folks each year to at least spend a few weeks on the fields.
The opal that we discovered in almost three weeks, hardly paid for the base line investment, and even after I left , and an additional $500 was spent on some new ‘teeth’ for the excavator, and Kent and Milton explored another 12 feet below the level we had been following, it has been disappointing so far.
To search for the most precious of the opal
I really believe that you could squeeze out a living by just noodling the cast off rubble from previous miners (with no equipment), but it would be such a dismal living that you would be better off on the ‘dole’ … 🙁
So it is truly a lust that drives these miners to search for the most precious of the opal, the type that drives men mad in search of it and women become appreciative and explore greed …:-)
Although there’s just no way to portray the beauty and unlimited seduction of the finest opal, these two examples do not overstate the perfection of the opal.
Delicate Gems with a Myriad of Guises
Opals have at various times been thought to have caused or prevented illness, been created from lightning, giving wearers the ability to see the future or simply been bearers of luck. Whatever the case this delicate gem’s myriad guises make for the most diverse range of jewellery.
Found by Jan Willis