Allawah Opals
Discovery of Allawah
Allawah is an opal mining field about 20km north of Lightning Ridge. Allawah comes from the local Aboriginal term ‘make your abode here’ or ‘remain here’. It was first prospected around the year 2008/2009.
Initial Challenges and Resolutions
At the time, miners considered it a massive find since no large areas had been discovered in the last decade. Initially, there were numerous issues and disputes over land access with farmers in the area. The situation resolved when the government purchased the land from the farmers, enabling miners to access the area without further disputes.
At its peak mining time, there were over 150 claims (1 claim is 50m x 50m), and over 50 mining teams were working there.
The peak of this ‘opal rush’ lasted many years. However, the best material was found at the beginning around 2008-2010. Not many black or dark opals were found there. However, miners discovered exquisite crystal opals with pinkish-orangish colors.
Current Status and Production
If you are to find any black opals discovered in Allawah, they are pretty rare but usually of excellent quality. Allawah black opals are often some of the best you can find and demand a very high price.
Comparison with Other Opal Fields
The Allawah field has been one of the best-producing regions of gem-quality black and crystal opal in Lightning Ridge EVER! The average depth miners found precious opal was about 30 feet.
Like the story with Allawah, miners often find opals in tough soil, which typically indicates good quality, although it can be pretty difficult to dig.
There are still a few miners in Allawah digging today. However, production has slowed down immensely over the last few years and has yet to be covered.
Inside an Allawah Opal mine
Characteristics of Allawah Opals
Over the years, we have sold several Allawah black opals. These opals usually range from 3 to 8ct and are often high domed with prominent reds, pinks and orange colors. These opals have all sold as they hold such beauty.
We can only compare the consistently high quality of an Allawah opal with a field mined two decades ago, known as Allah Rush.
Exceptional Quality Crystal Opals
We have three new absolute gem quality crystal opals from Allawah. These three crystal opals are the best we have ever had available for purchase. They are each unique in themselves, but all display prominent ‘Allawah’ orange colors through a mix of multiple other colors ( rainbow ). It is not easy to find crystal opals of this quality anywhere!
Moreover, whilst black opal is often preferred over crystal opal, set any of these crystals with a backing to trap the crystal’s light in, and you cannot tell the difference! Plus, you are paying 3 to 8 times more for black opal of this quality.
These three are exceptional quality crystal opals, some of Earth’s best crystals ever discovered! These opals represent excellent long-term investments, given that the region has primarily mined out this level of quality crystal!