Opalmine Website
Opal Mine By Brusacci - Opal Jewelry Online Store And Forum
History

Inside The Opal Mine I was about ten years of age when I first set eyes on an opal. It was in a ring on my grandmother's finger. It was love at first sight.

The next time I encountered opals was when I was about 30 years of age. I was staying with a friend who was an opal cutter. This time I looked at them through different eyes.

I remarked to my friend that a stone with such variety of unbelievable colours would be easy to sell.

My friend smiled and offered to let me take some of his opals on consignment and have a go at selling them. I think he asked $600 for a parcel of opal triplets (laminates), which was a lot of money in 1972. I decided to have a go at selling them, so I agreed on his price, took the opals, separated them carefully and priced them individually. I didn't know a thing about selling opal...but I just felt that such beautiful stones would have to be easy to sell. Maybe it was my initial enthusiasm...but I sold the lot in just a few days..by just calling in to businesse as I traveled into the countryside. Not long after this I decided to learn how to cut them myself...and that was the beginning of my opal business.
Belt Buckle
The belt buckle shown here was one of the first opals I cut. Needless to say, this particular piece is not for sale! The stone is a boulder opal from the Queensland fields. I was selling boulder opals at a time when people still thought they were doublets. Many valuable gems slipped through my fingers at that time because of a lack of knowledge on my part and a lack of appreciation from the public. Boulder opal now ranks with black opal in terms of value and demand. 

In the Hole.My next step took me directly to the source. I acquired a claim at the opal fields in Lightning Ridge, home to some of the most beautiful opals in the world. It was exciting working this claim, but eventually, responsibilities at the coast forced me to sell the mine. Experience has shown me, that to be successful as a miner you really have to be dedicated and live on the job. My specialty is cutting and dealing and so I have stuck to that most of the time.

I decided to focus on opal cutting and promotion, and that decision has brought me to this point. www.opalmine.com, is arguably the largest and most educational opal site on the internet, and my CD ROM "Opal for the Ordinary Bloke" continues to be well received internationally.


The Unlucky Stone

Some people say that Opal is an unlucky stone. One thing I have found in life is that, if a person really believes something, it's pretty useless trying to talk them out of it, so I usually agree while adding, "It's true that opal is unlucky...unlucky that none of us had the foresight to buy a few kilos of it back in 1970 when you could have bought high quality crystal for about $500 per troy oz." Today you would pay a few thousand dollars per oz for the same material.

In the past 30 years, I have made many friends in the opal industry. It is a pretty small community, and if someone does not act honestly, it gets around pretty quick. Having a good name in this industry is very useful, considering that at times, large parcels of precious stones have to be handled, and dishonest people could easily cheat. But they usually get found out and are avoided.

"Des" the opal miner...by artist Graham Lees.

In recent years, my nephew, Peter Youngson, who specializes in Australian Sheepskin, has taken over the Opal Miner's Hut, and sadly the old building was demolished a few years ago, but Peter has a new shop in Tweed Heads which he calls 'the Sheepskin Hut'. His sister Malvie, who has been working there since the mid 70's, now cares for the Opals. Malvie was about to retire a few years ago but we just couldn't do without her, and she now works on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Try to turn up on those days if you want to meet her. If you are in Australia, you can ring the shop on 0755364907 to get directions.  This has given Peter more time to concentrate on exporting through opalmine.com. The internet has meant he can give more personalized attention to the tens of thousands of customers we have dealt with over the years, over 8000 of whom have signed our visitors book.


I've also displayed and dealt with business associates in the Holidome at the famous Tucson Arizona Gem Show, where I sold about $30,000 worth of opal in four days. For a while I enjoyed displaying at the International Fossil and Mineral show in Tokyo. It. s amazing as you go from one international show to the other, how many people turn up that you. ve seen before.
After many years dealing in opals, my eyes still sparkle when I see a beautiful stone--just the way they did when I saw my first opal in my grandmother's ring 50 years ago. Now I hope you'll let me put a sparkle in your eyes as you gaze on that unique stone, created just for you.

 




















footer

| Jewelry | About Us | Customer Center | Chat Forum | Contact Us
Opalmine. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2007. Website designed by JaimeeDesigns

�Recuperar contrase�a?   Hazlo aqu�

Opal Mine By Brusacci - Opal Jewelry Online Store And Forum


Want to make some comments or get the opalmine e-newsletter? type your email address here!

Shopping Cart
Mostrar carro
Su Pedido está actualmente vacío.
Happy Customer
Many customers gave permission to have their email addresses shown here but we have refrained for privacy reasons. However, if you would like to talk directly to any of them, just let Peter know and he will get their permission first.{read more at end of list}

I first found opalmine.com looking for a one of a kind black opal on the internet. I was wary sending money out of the country to a company I did not know with no way to get my money back if the stone was of pour quality or not as represented. This had already happened to me once. On e-mailing Peter back and forth he sounded honest. He had a black opal that no one else even came close to in color, fire and price. Plus he had a ring made to fit the stone with diamonds. He had drawings done first for my approval then in plastic, ( I think it was plastic ).When I got the ring it was perfect and one of a kind. My trust paid off and I found that Peter is a stand up guy and will do all he can to make you happy with your purchase. I recommend him to all.
Phillip Shannon; Florida, USA

A quick note to thank you for the extra opal necklace with my order. My 4-year old daughter stashed it in her secret treasure box. Lovely pendant, my wife loves it.
Happy new year,
Todd - Derwood. MD-USA

Peter, the packages arrived and my girlfriend loved them. Thanks for the extra gift. I will be using you in the future for sure. If you ever need a reference you may use me.
Thanks,
Gerald -Denver, Colorado, USA

Peter,
Received ring today, with extra gift. Thank you for a fantastic service.
Regards
Paul.

Dear Peter, many thanks for the lovely sparkly pendant. One of the ladies in my life will treasure it. I really must study your site thoroughly and see if I can find a stone in the orange/red range that would make a great Gent's ring. I can spare a few hundred quid on myself from time to time especially now that I have decided that long haul flights are not for me any more. Once again, much appreciation for your thoughts and service.
Best wishes
Mike. -Bristol - England

Hi Peter,
Dain received the ring at his work on Friday. I LOVE the ring, its beautiful!!! And the pendant you sent was a perfect match for the ring, its a style I would have chosen myself. I think it is a very nice to send a little extra thing for me! I will recommend you to any of my friends, and I will be buying some more opals next year! Many Thanks Peter I'm chuffed to bits.
Michelle Smith
Chesham, Buckinghamshire.

Peter
I was very happy with the time and trouble you took over my purchase and I have passed your samples and cards around my friends. For anyone interested in buying opals who knows nothing about the gem, or what best to buy, you would be well advised and well looked after by Peter .I was in this situation and Peter took time, and a lot of it, to sort me out. The whole process took about six months from start to finish, and the result was 1st class. Peter answers all your questions quickly and clearly. I would not go to anyone else for OPALS.
Jean Pearce
Cricklade - Wiltshire, England

After reading this list, if you want, you can go to customer info-referrals. You can continue reading the referrals or you can click on visitors signature book, which shows excerpts of approximately 8000 actual signatures of customers who have dealt with Peter at the Opal Miners Hut between 1977 and 2001. During this time we have done business with some interesting people, including famous Australian personality and artist Rolf Harris whom Peter taught the opal cutting procedure, Neil Sedaka's stage manager, Sammy Davis Jr [who had a passion for white opal], The Big River Band, and many more international celebrities who performed at the Twin Towns Services club, southern Gold Coast.
EnglishChineseJapaneseSpanishDeutschFrenchPortugueseItalianoRussianSvenskHollandsArabic Korean

Learn Opal Cutting


Peter, Grinding


Diamond Slicing


Rough Opal


30 years opal cutting secrets revealed