On This Day - May 7th 2008
The Black Opal is named as the NSW gemstone emblem.
Opal is a precious stone which shows a variety of iridescent colours from reds, pinks and purples to yellows, greens and blues. The brilliant colours are produced by the diffraction of light through microscopic spheres within the opal which split the white light into all the colours of the spectrum. Along with diamond, emerald, ruby and sapphire, opal is one of the most valuable of gemstones.
Opal was adopted as the state gemstone of South Australia in 1985, while in 1993 it was officially made Australia’s national gemstone. Opal was first discovered in Australia in 1849 near Angaston, South Australia, by German geologist Johannes Menge. Australia now produces around 97% of the world's opal. It is mined in just three states of Australia. There are significant fields in South Australia, with around 80% of the Earth's total production being mined at Coober Pedy, Mintabie and Andamooka in the central north of the state. The opal fields in the Quilpie-Yowah region and Winton in western Queensland produce Boulder Opal, the second most rare and valuable form of opal. The third opal-producing state in Australia is New South Wales, where the rare Black Opal is found. Black Opal is the most valuable form of opal found in only two places in the world: Mexico and Lightning Ridge, New South Wales, with the latter producing a superior form of Black Opal. As a result, the Black Opal was named the state gemstone for New South Wales on 7 May 2008.