Opals and N. Nevada Gold

[strick]

Denio is some remote and beautiful country. Was there 20 some odd years ago.  Good hunting to you.

 

strick

[Reno Chris]

Hunting for opals is fun but the bank digging is like gambling. You may hit it big or you may strike out. Most people strike out, that happened to me, so don't feel too bad if that happens to you. Hopefully you will be one of the lucky ones. One time when I was filling my car at Denio, I had an airplane pull up next to me to fill up - only time that's ever happened to me.

As a far as rain, I'm sitting in Mill City getting rained on at the moment with lighting all around, so it hasn't dried out that much. On the other hand, today was better than yesterday.

[Featherdfishead]

Good Luck Scott! My wife has mentioned Opal digging a few times - My answers always been only if there's gold for me to find near by. Have a good adventure.

AjR

[Gold Hound]

I didn't think you guys got opal over there.

Does your opal have color play like ours does?

I've found some nice opal in the desert here in aus, we get black opal and crystal opal and yowah nuts.

 

Do you guys get Ruby and Sapphire as well? I used to mine sapphire for a while, found heaps of nice ones getting a parcel cut at the moment.

[El Dorado]

Virgin Valley, NV has some of the rarest and most beautiful black opal in the world

[vanursepaul]

I didn't think you guys got opal over there.

Does your opal have color play like ours does?

I've found some nice opal in the desert here in aus, we get black opal and crystal opal and yowah nuts.

 

Do you guys get Ruby and Sapphire as well? I used to mine sapphire for a while, found heaps of nice ones getting a parcel cut at the moment.

 

 

Here is an excerpt from their website Dale.

 

Hidden in the isolated northwest corner of Nevada, lies Virgin Valley. Despite it's arid and desolate location, rockhounds and miners from all over the world travel here to search for the beautiful black opal for which this area is famous. These spectacular opals are prized by collectors, lapidary enthusiasts and jewelers worldwide. This area is famous for the rare and fabulous black opal, known to occur in only two places on Earth; the Virgin Valley, Nevada and New South Wales, Australia. These wonderful specimens flash and gleam with a rainbow of brilliant reds, blues, greens and purples in a jet black matrix.  Prime examples can be worth more per carat than even diamonds. Also found in the area is opal in a variety of colors and types from the famous black opal to the amber colored honey opal, the clear jelly or crystal opal, and the pure white matrix of the lechosos or milk opal, all of which can contain the stunning play of color which signifies the 'precious opal.' Most of the opal is in the form of replaced wood and limb casts. Sometimes retaining the characteristics of the ancient wood in incredible detail. It is  theorized that this area was once the location of a large lake surrounded by lush forests of sequoia, spruce, hemlock, birch, cedar, larch and chestnut.  This prehistoric forest was devastated by a series of volcanic eruptions which buried the forests, lakes and accumulated driftwood with layer upon layer of ash.  Over millions of years, the silica-rich water of the areas hot springs seeped through the layers of ash and slowly replaced the buried wood with hydrated silica molecules. Under the right conditions precious opal may form.

[beatup]

You can dig opals in the virgin valley in Nevada and Spencer Idaho right off I 15

[Sourdough Scott]

Staying at some hot springs. These minerals are in the water. Got to be completely hydrated with minerals to find them, right?

[Gold Hound]

Thanks Guys

I thought that Australia was the only place black opal came from.

Yours looks very similar to ours I'll dig up some photos of opal and Sapphire I have mined.

 

Here is the last parcel I sent they are all over 1ct there is just over 1000ct cut in the picture.

The container is a larger ceramic baking tray to give you an idea of scale, over $200,000 in the photo.

I got $14000 alone for the 6ct gold one just down from the top left.

 

Cant find my opal photos at the moment.

 

 

[vanursepaul]

Very nice Dale!