The Opals of Australia documentary of Patrick Voillot

A rainbow brought a God to a distant land beyond the seas. The men of this country saw in him the creator of the Dreamtime. Then one day he left the rainbow and disappeared at the point where he had touched the ground. The Rocks became colored gemstones opal was created and this land was called Australia look that diora has the opportunity and the possibility to create in an extremely free way I am drawing a snake that is not a bad snake that stings it is a snake that is generous and kind this snake must have a magic stone for me there was only one stone that would work and it was the opal it is an intriguing stone that is what I find fascinating and it has a reputation there is something that happens around it it does not leave people indifferent that is the good thing of the opal you can look at it for years and you will always find something at some point that you have not seen before after a long absence in the world to find jewelry the opal regains its place that it should never have left thanks to the designer Victoria In fact, stolen, this stone has been sought for more than 2000 years.

It was already very popular and was considered to bring good luck in Rome, in ancient Greece. Then he came from present-day Hungary. I would like them to be turquoise and green

opals

with blue. and in fact I think we will have to go look for them in Australia Australia is a very sparsely populated continental country containing only 19 million people concentrated in a few coastal cities in an area almost equal to that of Europe in January 1788 11 The ships of The British fleet landed a few hundred prisoners and for the maritime companies in a secluded bay the colony was established and in this place the future city of Sydney was founded.

They were followed by a period of colonial exploration and expansion punctuated by frequent conflicts between settlers. and aborigines were expelled from the territories they inhabited after thousands of years in full communion with the natural elements, in the mid-19th century a considerable amount of gold was discovered, an avalanche of prospectors and thousands of immigrants invaded the country, rinsing the precious metal. They found a fascinating stone of many colors It opened a new fever that was going to invade Australia A man Tulley Wollaston contracted the fever after being notified by a letter of the discovery of an opal mine in Queensland He originated the idea of ​​​​trading this gem in 1888 Later he became the founder of the opal industry in Australia.

Many years passed before a group of gold prospectors on February 6, 1915 in the desert region north of Adelaide discovered the enormous Coober Pedy opal deposit. Jim Hutchinson took his son Bill away at an advanced age. 15 on this dangerous expedition arriving at the Camp thirsty he left him he went in search of water upon returning the missing teenager had left him alone in the desert he returned a few hours later to the great relief of his father hands and pockets full of

opals

were cracked and bleached in the sun , but it was indisputable evidence of a field of great importance.

These opals were planted for a small fee at Wollaston. Word spread and a flood of searchers flooded the region. One hundred and fifty-two thousand dollars awarded to the mature man. the hammer resounds at the Sotheby's auction house an Opel with brilliant lights has been sold this jewel has always fascinated the greats of this world the empress Josephine wife of Napoleon had an extraordinary opal called the burning of Troy the jewel mysteriously disappeared Mark Antony coveted a stone of unimaginable size for Cleopatra whose owner preferred exile rather than handing it over this gem is traded today at prices that defy the imagination in Australia you dig you drill you strive to find this fabulous treasure Albert a miner in Coober Pedy originally from Eastern Europe emigrated to this region many years ago.

He chose to mine the opal with industrial equipment. He regularly purchases mining concessions from the Australian Government's Department of Mining to broaden his scope. How are you? Hello, what is it for you? I want to register a claim. XP p38 for the number 3/8 for a license it costs 46 points $75 that is theft it is not surprising that we are bankrupt it is nothing here is the change we will prepare a new license for you come back this afternoon okay thank you it is the most diverse a very diverse city, There is even an Eskimo who lived in Coober Pedy, all nationalities are here.

Hungarians, Germans, French, Italians, most of them get along very well with everyone you can imagine this year and most of them didn't get along very well, it's quite surprising how well they get along. in I am Hungarian I am Hungarian I arrived after the revolution I fled the revolution with my mother my father was already here he came to look for a goal he went to Belgium Mr. Carmyle when we started mining when we started mining in 1960 1965 I was in Andamooka a place not far from here a lot of people go there on holiday people go to places like this for a holiday at that time with a photo and a lamp my father found opals worth between a hundred and two hundred pounds who wants a job with no money used to say who wants to work in Melbourne when money is so easy to find we stay and we haven't moved since you have a quick run around here there will be a slip and a crack if it falls on a machine it's not that bad but if you're on foot it's not good when you walk that's written the pillars the pillars were damaged it's too big there's not enough to hold it up it's too big you know what it just goes down there are tunnels on both sides everything falls apart and you will find only a pair of boots planted on the ground we check the ceiling constantly the falling dust indicates that the earth is moving it is an indication that the ground shake you got a line of dust you will see a line of dust where it forms the crack then you go at this moment it is time for a lunch break lunch break your danger is constantly present in these minds for this reason some miners in addition to prayers make donations to the priests who intercede for them before the gods in this Church Orthodox located in an old mine the priest regularly receives opals with these offerings the place of worship is perfectly maintained as we always have attributed supernatural powers to this fascinating stone and in 1075 the bishop of Rennes wrote that the opal made its owner invisible.

It was then known as the thieves' stone. Albert has a special way of locating this gem in his mind. He uses a fluorescence feature of the stone. When passing the ultraviolet light in the darkness on the walls, it immediately detects the presence of opal that acquires a fluorescent violet color that is very visible from the rest of the environment. All that remains is to collect the pieces. Opel appears as a vein that is rarely a vessel of blood. precious or shiny it sounds like glass when it breaks it sounds like a cash register when it starts to thicken it loses its color, but not always when it starts to thicken generally the guys lose color, otherwise, where it is thin, where it is thin the color is beautiful there are two lines here one is here and the other a few centimeters away one here one on top and enters the sheath the quality of the opal is judged according to several factors the tone of the background of the stone and the distribution in the harmony of the colors you must observe it under natural light to appreciate its quality the mixture of colors comes from its composition that consists of microscopic layers of silicate molecules that resemble rows of balls the light penetrates the material and decomposes by returning the rays of different colors They are seen along the axis where you look at the opal.

This phenomenon is called Harlequin iridescent. Opal represents the most sought after range of colors. It forms a mosaic of colors reminiscent of the well-known figure under the blackboard. Under the black light, you can't tell if. Whether colored or not, this type of industrial search involves the use of huge drills and excavators, these machines can work quickly digging long tunnels to reach the opal veins, but this process minor electives establish the presence of gems and once have crushed a part of the The cuttings contain pieces of opal that are collected and thrown outside waiting to be classified in this region populated in ancient times by the aborigines, hundreds and hundreds of miners have extracted every day, for a century, an incredible amount of Earth from the underground of my my name is Ian Crombie I am of virginal descent my tribe is from here and we live in Coober Pedy my tribe here is the under kiddin me gentlemen that our tribe and we live here kübra petit is an Aboriginal word What does white man in a home mean?

The white man comes here to dig holes in search of precious stones. For us, the opal is precious. It is protected by our people. It is part of our region and our culture. Our language. There are legends that say that there used to be shells. in the ground but when the eagles came to lay their eggs, the shells hid under the earth, you see the stories that are spoken in the mind where the shells that the white man digs in the earth do not restore the soil that the white man destroy we want the land to be good when the Moyna arrives you dig up the home and leave everything open you never return the sand the white man is destroying a hope the land that we take care of the land that we take care of the land we want the land to be good the extracted land is It is classified through sophisticated mechanization that eliminates dust and fine particles that are of no interest.

The sorting waste is transported on a belt to a closed room. Albert is the only one who has a key. He uses the same technique to detect fluorescence in opals. He sucks them with the bell. The only thing left for Albert is to classify the lots of different qualities and then evaluate the price. The quality and especially the colors have a direct impact on the opening price. These are small, beautiful, colorful rough stones. This is beautiful. it has a shine some people this is a fossilized shell this one has a good color you can't tell a person what you can't tell someone what women are like they are like magnets they know how to choose the most expensive opal in the store crazy albert has to go to the city to sell his production of rough stones, it is important to him because the money will allow him to operate his mind even if the production is low or non-existent, he must pay for fuel, repair damaged equipment and pay the men who work.

For him, how are you, you're not bad, today you have a lot of money, I'm sure I have a lot of money, yes, you have beautiful opals, I have money, I haven't seen anything better in a long time, yes, better than that, really, it's not bad, but I was expecting something better. I have to work up an appetite, this seems better, no. Have you seen colors like this since when is it not true? It's very nice how much do you want for the lot eighty thousand dollars Gil freedom living but I have a wife girlfriend children I'm addicted to hard drugs and gambling.

I need to make everyone live. You have a little more prizes than usual. You're asking for more than usual. I'll give you fifty thousand dollars. Come on, it's Christmas. Think of my children. I can offer you a Christmas gift. but not so many thousand dollars a little more give me your price first sixty sixty thousand you know how you make my prices you know me you know how I make my prices I don't negotiate much okay 65 what do you mean sixty five? one thousand dollars fifty-two thousand and a half here I'll give you the money and I'll keep the old fifty-three thousand let's go with five hundred it's a Christmas gift yes, it should be a little something okay that's the color I like which one do you prefer? color or that one this one that is better seriously I hope you find even more I am very happy that is why it is very pretty it shines it is wonderful healthy my name is Yanni Isana Skoda's I came from Greece 31 years ago to try my luck in coober pedy with these beautiful stones colors for a year and 31 years later I'm still here ten percent of the opal found in Coober Pedy is colored ninety percent is what is called Potch, that is, colorless opal miners don't even collect it, it's a waste, no has value, then ten percent has the true colors, ten percent of the opal, we find its color, ten percent, so ten percent is the best and one percent of that ten percent is black opal is black on black opal. black opal is very rare.

I have seen enough faith. I've seen quite a few stones and opals that I really like. I did not see them. I like them. I never sell perfectly, but one of my best stones is in the table stones is this is the most beautiful table in 31 years. I have never seen better. It's one of the best sounds I've ever seen and I've been in the industry, like I told you before, 31 years. I haven't seen anything better than that, it was a big rock, it was a big rock almost half a meter in diameter from the outside, we didn't see anything, I speculated on the purchase, then I saw this line just out of speculation and all of us as a national. this line the opal here contains water, I understand that the opal contains water.

I put my find in the freezer for 24 hours. I expected the freezing water to make it brittle and that's what happened. I was very lucky. I inserted a screwdriver. I pushed and with a screwdriver. and a tap and you turn it on and that's it Opel is sometimes found in the form of fossils because 110 million years ago Australia was connected to Antarctica a shallow inland sea divided it into abundant wildlife populated it but it was a very different way of life to which existsToday was the era of the dinosaurs in the arrows mangas II there lived strange creatures reptiles marine dinosaurs and many other fish that today have disappeared when one of them died fell to the bottom its flesh disintegrated leaving only the bone that was then gradually covered with sediment At some point it is believed that 65 million years ago a huge meteorite with the Earth put an end to the era of the dinosaurs and eliminated most of the existing species about 35 million years later the drastic climate change would have created a regression of the Eromanga Sea The layers of sediment that were deposited cracked at depth allowing the infiltration of silica-rich liquid from the ancient ocean and transforming the fossils into opals through a surprising process, what we do know about this process is that what we know about the process that produces The opal is that it appears that bacteria have been involved.

Bacteria have transformed fossil animal bones into small balls of silica while turning into opals when viewed under light. microscope we see bodies of bacteria responsible for this magic what is left are the rocks full of opalized bones that were originally bones of dinosaurs platypuses or animal teeth now they are extraordinary opals and beautiful opals types of dinosaurs types of Beach sores in the waters that do not They were seen nowhere else there were dinosaurs and Playa sores that lived in the water here animals that could not be seen anywhere else we know him as Eric one of the most famous is an animal called Eric this was a small pliers or a reptile marine a cousin of the dinosaurs ate fish and like many of the animals that Eric lived on, the lungfish, turtles, crocodiles and the ancestors of the platypus, died in the water and when they died, the meat was decomposed leaving only the bones and a mysterious phenomenon occurred and then something this theory.

We are just beginning to understand the process but in the end they all turned into opal the bones of these prehistoric creatures turned into precious stones these prehistoric creatures into gems in a desert that stretches out of sight the kingdom of insects reptiles and some mammals adapted to In this environment the temperature usually reaches 50 degrees Celsius these conditions do not prevent adventurers in search of opals from digging the earth like termites do not worry if in this hostile environment you see a man walking alone with his eyes closed and two rods metal in the hands. he is not lost or crazy he is just determining by dowsing where to dig all the techniques are good to find this precious mineral to find opal you can use any metal you just need to indicate movement this method does not find the opal itself but it can find places on earth where there may be opals using this many times it was very accurate but unfortunately many times I did not find any opals, we will drill here 850 kilometers north of Adelaide on an endless road, the city of Coober Pedy is located like a mirage in a city taken out of a western the time of the gold rush world traveler here you enter the world of opal you can make a fortune but what price are you willing to pay for several decades this region has attracted adventurers from all over the world they are grouped in this region to escape their past , why is that raw opal?

Yes, it's a rough Coober Pedy opal in this region, yes, yes, you know, a miner named George agreed that he worked on the Olympic field just after the airport from the days when the waves. of emigrants invaded the Australian desert there are only a few men left to survive in small scale mining George is one of them when I need something when I need something I go hello yes how much choice phone is a Greek phone every day it falls 30 meters from Depth to the bottom of the mine, the hole communicates with perpendicular galleries excavated in the rock by a machine that he rents when necessary, but especially when his findings allow him to pay for them.

I am from Thessaloniki, Greece. I arrived in April. 1966 I was 23 years old, I was a sculptor and I did my military service and when I left the army, I passed by a building where there were a lot of people and I asked my friend what they were doing. I asked the question, they said they were going to Australia and I told my friend I wanted to go to Australia and he said yes, three months later we were in Australia, this one here is Egyptian, this one is gypsum crystal, it's not opal, but often under the gypsum there is open down here sometimes it forms a large commission from above under the Egyptian which is a large vein of gypsum that goes down to the bottom or sometimes above there is a good material that carries material but then we are going to explode here like this that we dynamite because he believes that Korea exists some queue to find opals George does not believe in scientific research he has not studied geology he trusts his instincts and experiences an old prospector miners often abandon their pits that they consider sterile other prospectors come and dig in a different direction and they discover a fortune George senses the OPA when it is closed there is only one way to find it dynamite to make sure the explosive charge is well prepared it is his wife Judy who makes it with great art there is no way we can roll up a few sheets of paper together turning them over this is the crust there is a knot in the crust so that nothing falls out what we will do is we will fill it nothing can spill so I fold it like this and I put a piece of tape on it we have a Frankfurt Associates German sausage ready we have here's a frankfurter if you don't like someone you put a detonator in it and you hit here's the fuse there's a detonator at the end and when George comes down he plugs them in he'll plug them in when he's ready we put them on the wall it's been 35 years we've been doing this, it's not dangerous, it's like breakfast every morning, what were you, idiot, why do you work in this area?

Because when we open, we will find color here. plaster and under the plaster there is an opening now I'm going to dig and blow up the plaster to find the opening under the Egyptian and we found something, that's an indication for you, yeah, okay Patrick, can you hold this? I know a lot of places, I know a lot of places that I think have opal but I go slowly because I check a lot of wells I have a winch on my truck and I look I look people have abandoned some areas not mines but just empty pits when they go low and I look and if I find something interesting I start to work I started on mine now we are together very dangerous topic assembled is dangerous it is better not to smoke let's go to woody now that is presented to look nice it looks good sometimes I found a lot of football but sometimes I find a lot of opal but it is not worth much because no It's of great quality but it's worth about $1 $2 parents, I guess there's always something good that's worth it, there's money in sight, there must be money to be able to continue to see.

What have we done this time? Who knows? Maybe we'll find a good opal, some papaya. Look, yeah, it looks good, nice, nice, very nice, maybe a few hundred dollars. Very beautiful stones. Miners have a habit of licking their newly found gems. The saliva moistens the stone and the light stands out. and give an impression of polishing this technique allows you to quickly see the quality of the opal you see here there are mud cells as they are called I check sometimes you find something good here you see it look at it you must be careful when removing it yes, yes - a fossil for you Judy for you Judy to make a nice pendant eh nice here I like it I like the bar I love the bar you see the bar there is magnificent lovely maybe me Leon tomorrow maybe tomorrow 1 million I love this job and I will continue until I die it is not unusual in the streets of Coober Pedy that some people will try to fool foreign visitors are very persuasive they sell doubles that are made up of a layer of genuine opal joined with a layer of synthetic or natural color enhancer they are sold at the price of opal if they are well made a double can give the illusion of opal if one is not a specialist there are also triples in which case the set is made up of three layers try to be crystal it is possible to buy the Doubles and triples and jewelry stores.

Sale is allowed if the buyer knows what they are and the price must be lower than that of genuine opal. It is safer for the beginner to go to a specialized store. Opal sellers are familiar with this stone. and give advice it is important for example to keep it away from heat sources because it contains three to thirty percent water and dehydration can cause cracks and reduce its iridescence it would make two settings it can also dehydrate so it is better to buy a stone that is already mounted my name is Sandy Williams I am a part time miner and also a guide I work for an opal mine here you are with us in our house underground we are about 20 meters underground the house has been a mine since 1917 there has only had two owners Its previous owner was called Freddie sauerkraut he lived as if it were still in his mind without electricity or running water we have modernized it made it more comfortable to live ten years later Sydney man up here my name is Damien Cody My name is Damien Cody.

I own a company that exports opals all over the world. Let's go to the source to find some of the best stones with our business. We have to go to the source to find the stones we have. We have rough opal, but in many cases, the opal is cut by the miner himself. Predominantly the highest quality opal comes from here, from Lightning Ridge. We find black opals here, the Queensland black opal, their Boulder opals in Queensland and most of the clear opal comes from Coober Pedy, so we use it everywhere and a lot of miners come directly to us to sell it.

We sell our opal worldwide in Europe, the German speaking countries, our largest buyers. Switzerland Germany Austria in Paris. It works well in the big fashion houses we have. I also participated in many exhibitions. France has started to be very interesting for us. We have held several trade exhibitions in France, so France is another country that is becoming more and more important to us. I haven't seen some pieces in a while. It's good to see something good. I have some nice pieces here. It's quite hot. I think 45 degrees last week we started work at 6am. m. and we finished at 1 p.m. m. good to see you found the nabhi there are a lot of veins here yes I have a team working for me in Wyoming we have some nabhi in a small vein do you want how much for that green 5 thousand where is it how much 9 carats yes I prefer 4500.

Can you buy $4700? Cut it in half. We'll talk later in Paris. I have clients in Paris and fine jewelry. What interests me the most is the blue/green, just a nice blue-green material, yes, even a nice nice material. nice crystal you have some right now a little not much there is a lot of blue green but not a lot of crystal if I find it I will set it aside for you Anthony is a minor in Lightning Ridge and when he finds beautiful stones he has them cut with a lapidary hello hello Anthony, come in, yeah, how are you?

What do you bring me today? Check out this nice look at that pretty color, we'll clean it up quickly, let's see how much a cut stone is worth in general. a bigger profit, but this is always a danger, for example, once carved, if the stone can be much less interesting than expected, it can also break, there is a defect in the middle, but if you can come back tomorrow, your pieces will be ready in the afternoon, that's fine. I hope there are some good ones until tomorrow. My name is Kristine Rochelle. I love opal. I live it and breathe it.

I work on the raw opal that the miners bring me. We all hope to find sellable gems. After all, it's money for them. And with luck. everyone hopes to find a gemstone they can sell, everything is money and they work very hard for their money and I have to work very hard to cut something. The miners work hard and I have to work hard to get something good for the market. it is wonderful for them when they find it for them if they find any for centuries the opal was considered the stone of luck Shakespeare said it was the miracle and queen of stones in the 19th century a superstition darkened its image its origin is largely due a The novel by Walter Scott and Gerstein where the heroine Warren Opal experienced several misadventures, the misinterpretation of the novel was amplified by some diamond sellers of the time concerned about the success of this other stone, mainly as it What I like most about opals, it's like a Pandora. box slowly reveal more and more colors, but sometimes there are more and more problems that can be disastrous.

Opal is a product of nature and we must work with it. The lapidaries also participated in this curse. In fact, it is very fragile. This stone must be cut very carefully to reveal its beauty. Broken, the client refused to pay for the craftsman's work. This punishment was less than that inflicted by King Louis that the stone was unlucky and should be avoided at the time the rumor made its way into opal sales plummeted by 50% 42.2 is really nice yes Damien has precise orders informed by hiscontacts there is an exceptional stone corresponding to your search go straight to the mine tell me you are being a little sycophantic I heard you found some yes a little good well I have one here a nice piece of nabhi wonderful what do you think is not bad at all it is accurate it is a for sale everything is for sale everything is for sale even your grandmother I'll give it to you for 20 I'll give it to you for $20,000 how much it weighs 42 carats yup sixteen thousand sixteen your hard tongue you already know me I won't change seventeen seven eight you drive a tough Bureau of mine, you do a difficult deal, okay, seventeen thousand dollars have been concluded, okay, you have picked up the necessary piece.

Damian returns to his Sydney office. His precious reward is immediately stored in a safe waiting to be sold or exported. I got some fabulous material. I have something fabulous. black green blue opals that would be perfect for your client jeweler I can have it you can have it in Paris in a week within seven days you will adore it it is beautiful goodbye in the great tradition of its masters the jeweler has artfully crafted the metal set the stones with precision to giving this work more strength than beauty as if through alchemy the jewel had taken shape to give birth to this magical snake in the land of dreams was the incarnation of a God who when he disappeared left man the only thing he could never create are the spoils that you