Where to Find Opals in the USA — A List of American Opal Locations| Opal Auctions

Obrada...

When early settlers migrated west to pan for gold in early American boomtowns, they may have also encountered another treasure hidden in the earth: opals! That’s right, if you thought opals were confined to the abundant deposits in Australia, think again.

While it’s true that Australia is the leading source for opals worldwide, followed by Ethiopia, the US has a humble but steady supply, too. The US supplies only a fraction compared to other sources like Australia, Ethiopia, Brazil, and Mexico, but the western canyons and valleys are lined with small opal mines. Today, many mines are still active while others have long since closed, but their treasures still sell in the market.

Here’s a quick overview of where to find American opals in the USA:

Nevada
Oregon
Arizona
Idaho
Utah
Washington
Arkansas
Louisiana

Before we dive into each of these states, let’s go over some of the opal varieties you’ll encounter in the US.

Types of Opals Found in the USA

American opals come from several states in western USA, where volcanic rocks in remote mountains and valleys along the Western Trail from California to Washington supply varieties like black opal, fire opal, common opal, and more.

However, Nevada is the leading American supplier for opals. On the whole, the United States produces around $90,000 of opal annually.

Most of these opals are found in western USA, with many opal mines open to the public. Next, we’ll look at the mines dotting the Western regions of the US.

Nevada

Can you find black opal in the US? You bet! It’s clear that Nevada is the best place to find opal in the US, thanks to the world-famous Virgin Valley opal, a remote, fruitful mining district supplying some of the world’s finest black opals.

In Northern Nevada nestled against the border of Oregon, a conglomeration of three high-producing Virgin Valley opal mines line the high desert valleys along the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, including:

Royal Peacock opal mine
Virgin Opal Bonanza mine
Rainbow Ridge opal mine

While Nevada tends to be associated with gambling and the famous Las Vegas strip, there’s much more to be discovered! The vast 68,000-acre valleys encompass the heart of the Old West and its rich prospecting history. The region teems with common opal, but a few small deposits supply precious black opal, known as some of the finest opals in the world.

Tourists can visit this opal mecca during the mining season, from May to November. If you’re wondering what makes Nevada’s opals so prestigious, it's their vivid array of colors. Additionally, the world’s largest precious opal was unearthed in the Royal Peacock Mine!

Despite Nevada’s surplus of common opal, most are unsuitable for gems due to their crazing and cracking. These fragile stones cannot be cut or polished. That said, they make for stunning display gems sold to museums and rock shops for collectors and home decor.

Since Nevada’s opal boom straddles the Oregon border, let’s look at “the beaver state” next.

Oregon

Opals hide in rhyolite geode mineraloids that form in low-temperature silicon dioxide cracks in the earth. Oregon has its very own variety of opals called “Thunderegg.” These opals are found in stunning geodes, rocks that look unassuming outside but explode with color and diversity within.

In addition to thundereggs, Oregon supplies a variety of fire opals as well as common opals, rainbow opals, centra luz opals, blue opals, and dendritic opals.

Where can you find opals in Oregon? Counties across the state have small opal mines. The leading supplier of Oregon opals is the Juniper Ridge Opal mine, a “fee dig” site where visitors and miners can pay a fee, undergo training, and start mining! Any findings unearthed are yours to keep!

Another prominent locality is the Opal Butte mine in Morrow County that’s been active since 1988. Over in Klamath County, you’ll find Opal Creekand Klamath Falls, a small but active opal mine.

Arizona

Heading east from California, you’ll find a famous agate mine that’s known to unearth opals. Most notably are the Mule Mountains, home to the Opal Hill Mine in the Palo Verde region. The quantity of opals discovered here is unrecorded, but opals often surface while mining for desirable agates.

In southern Arizona are the Sky Opal mines in Santa Cruz County. Here, beautiful soft blue opals surface. Another popular mine is Burro Creek, a mineral-producing region in Wickenburg known to produce rockhound collectibles and American opals.

Idaho

Idaho is a world-renowned gem state thanks to its geologic diversity, attracting rockhounds near and far to collect across the rich lands. The state produces a vibrant portfolio of gems, from agate to diamonds, and of course, opals!. Idaho opals include:

Fire opal
Banded opal
Hyalite opal
Common opal
Opalized wood

Ancient volcanic rocks and geysers supply Idaho’s opals. Geysers would erupt throughout millions of years, surfacing silica spheres in the liquid lined with layers of precious opal. While the color bar is thin, these opals are most commonly used to make opal triplets.

Where do you find opals in Idaho? The most prominent regions include the Spencer Opal Mine, Willow Creek, Pahsimeroi Valley, Poison Creek, the Moscow Opal Mines, and Clover Creek.

Utah

Utah is a sprawling Mountain West state bordering Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona, and Nevada. Because it’s nestled between three states producing American opals (Arizona, Nevada, and Idaho), it’s only fitting that Utah also has opals. However, these opals are an entity all their own, thanks to their unique banding. We can thank the geothermal activity underground for forming such a fantastic American opal variety!

Also called Bacon Opals, or Candy Strop Opals, Utah opals exhibit a unique striping akin to a strip of bacon meat. Warm hues of red, yellow, and green line these slabs and specimens. While Utah isn’t a leading supplier of opals, they spring up from regions across the state.

However, the most notable locale is the Opal Gemstone Mine in Milford, a rockhounding site in the Antelope-Roosevelt Hot Springs Mining District treasured by collectors eager to see one of the most unique American opal varieties in the world.

The Mine has since closed, and production was small when it was active, but Utah opals still circulate throughout the opal market as a novelty.

Washington

The northernmost western state of Washington abundantly produces gemstones like agates, carnelians, and bloodstones. However, you can also find American opals in Washington State!

A treasure unique to Washington is opalized wood specimens. When wood buries into soil, mineralized water and low oxygen create a fascinating process called permineralization. Rather than decomposing, silica preserves the wood tissues, transforming them into opalized wood fossils.

Besides these remarkable treasures, you can also find common opal in Washington, although production levels are minimal, despite the demand and interest.

Washington Opals are rare and elusive but can be found in the following regions:

Whelan — the first US location to unearth American opals!
The Yakima River in Sunnyside
Wind River in Skamania County
Greenwater River in King County

And that wraps up the western sources, but where else can we find opal in the US?

Arkansas

Arkansas might not be the most prominent state to supply gemstones in the US, but it deserves mention on this list of American opal sites. In the late 19th century, people flocked to Arkansas to join the booming pearl rush. Over in Murfreesboro, Crater of Diamonds State Park supplies a respectable amount of diamonds. In addition to a variety of quartz species, Arkansas also has a small source of opals.

Arkansas ranks third for gemstone production ($4.89 million) in the United States, and there are several regions to find opal, including the Potash Sulphur Springs in Garland County. Arkansas opal types include dendritic opal, precious fire opal, and throughout Eastern and Southern Arkansas, opalized wood is present in hyaline opal.

Louisiana

Are you wondering, can opal be found in Louisiana of all states? The answer is yes, and it’s called Louisiana Sand Opal. These rare opal types are a type of sandstone once mined in the Catahoula Formation in Leesville.

Louisiana Sand Opal forms when sand grains band together with clear opal. Once the specimen is exposed to sun rays, the mixed composition displays a radiant play of color in vivid speckles of purples, blues, and greens. The most desired Louisiana opals have a dark body tone to best exhibit the stone’s play of color.

Louisiana opal mining is historically small in production, with prominence rising and dwindling in the 1980s-90s. This means that Louisiana opal is exceedingly rare and elusive. But there is another type of Louisiana opal that’s much more abundant: Louisiana Palm Wood.

Like Washington’s opalized wood, Louisiana Palm Wood is a form of opalized fallen palm wood, which isn’t actually a true wood grain. Instead, palm wood is a fibrous material found in localized plants. As the palms deteriorated into underground water, silica grew and hardened into petrified palm opal.

If you’re in the market for Louisiana opal, palm wood is your best bet!

Are Opals Sold in the US?

And that wraps up our tour of American opal found in the US! The United States may never contend with Australia for opal production, but as you can see, rare and novelty opal varieties exist from sea to shining sea. Of course, the American west is the most prominent region for American opals, but branch out east, and you’ll also find unique varieties. Are you ready to get your hands on a relic from the Old West?

Find valuable and rare American opal from Opal Auctions!

American Opal

Kad su prvi doseljenici migrirali na zapad kako bi potražili zlato u ranim američkim procvatima, možda su naišli i na drugo blago skriveno u zemlji: opale! Tako je, ako ste mislili da su opali ograničeni na bogate naslage u Australiji, razmislite ponovno.

Istina je da je Australija vodeći izvor opala u svijetu, a slijedi je Etiopija, i SAD ima skromnu, ali stalnu opskrbu. SAD opskrbljuju samo mali dio u usporedbi s drugim izvorima poput Australije, Etiopije, Brazila i Meksika, ali zapadni kanjoni i doline obloženi su malim rudnicima opala. Danas su mnogi rudnici još uvijek aktivni, dok su drugi davno zatvoreni, ali se njihovo blago i dalje prodaje na tržištu.

Evo kratkog pregleda gdje pronaći američke opale u SAD -u:

Nevada
Oregon
Arizona
Idaho
Utah
Washington
Arkansas
Louisiana

Prije nego što zaronimo u svako od ovih stanja, prijeđimo na neke od vrsta opala koje ćete sresti u SAD -u.

Vrste opala pronađene u SAD -u

Američki opali dolaze iz nekoliko država na zapadu SAD -a, gdje vulkanske stijene u udaljenim planinama i dolinama uz Zapadnu stazu od Kalifornije do Washingtona opskrbljuju sorte poput crnog opala, opalnog vatre, običnog opala i drugih.

Međutim, Nevada je vodeći američki dobavljač opala. Sve u svemu, Sjedinjene Države godišnje proizvedu oko 90.000 dolara opala.

Većina ovih opala nalazi se na zapadu SAD -a, a mnogi rudnici opala otvoreni su za javnost. Zatim ćemo pogledati rudnike u zapadnim regijama SAD -a.

Nevada

Možete li pronaći crni opal u SAD -u? Možete se kladiti! Jasno je da je Nevada najbolje mjesto za pronalaženje opala u SAD-u, zahvaljujući svjetski poznatom opalu Virgin Valley , udaljenom, plodnom rudarskom okrugu koji opskrbljuje neke od najboljih svjetskih crnih opala.

U sjevernoj Nevadi, smještenoj uz granicu Oregona, konglomerat od tri visokoproizvodna rudnika opala u djevičanskoj dolini niže se niz visoke pustinjske doline uz Nacionalno utočište za divlje životinje Sheldon, uključujući:

Rudnik opala Royal Peacock
Djevica Opal Bonanza rudnik
Opal rudnik Rainbow Ridge

Iako se Nevada povezuje s kockanjem i poznatom trakom u Las Vegasu, postoji još mnogo toga za otkriti! Ogromne doline od 68.000 jutara obuhvaćaju srce Starog Zapada i njegovu bogatu povijest. Regija obiluje običnim opalom, ali nekoliko malih nalazišta opskrbljuje dragocjenim crnim opalom, poznatim kao neki od najboljih opala na svijetu.

Turisti ovu opalnu meku mogu posjetiti tijekom rudarske sezone, od svibnja do studenog. Ako se pitate što čini Nevadine opale tako prestižnima, to je njihov živopisan niz boja. Osim toga, najveći dragocjeni opal na svijetu iskopan je u rudniku Royal Peacock!

Unatoč Nevadinom višku običnog opala, većina je neprikladna za dragulje zbog ludila i pucanja. Ovo krhko kamenje ne može se rezati niti polirati. No, oni stvaraju zapanjujuće dragulje koji se prodaju muzejima i rock prodavaonicama za kolekcionare i uređenje doma.

Budući da Nevadin bum opala prelazi granicu Oregona, pogledajmo sljedeće “stanje dabra”.

Oregon

Opali se kriju u riolitnim geodnim mineraloidima koji nastaju u niskotemperaturnim pukotinama silicijevog dioksida u zemlji. Oregon ima vlastitu raznolikost opala zvanu "Thunderegg". Ovi se opali nalaze u zadivljujućim geodama, stijenama koje izvana izgledaju skromno, ali iznutra eksplodiraju bojom i raznolikošću.

Osim gromova, Oregon isporučuje razne vatrene opale, kao i obične opale, opale duge, centre luz opale, plave opale i dendritičke opale.

Gdje možete pronaći opale u Oregonu? Županije širom države imaju male rudnike opala. Vodeći dobavljač opala u Oregonu je rudnik Opal Juniper Ridge Opal, mjesto za kopanje naknada na kojem posjetitelji i rudari mogu platiti pristojbu, proći obuku i započeti rudarstvo! Sve otkrivene nalaze vaše je da zadržite!

Još jedno istaknuto mjesto je rudnik Opal Butte u okrugu Morrow, koji je aktivan od 1988. godine. U okrugu Klamath, naći ćete Opal Creekand Klamath Falls, mali, ali aktivni rudnik opala.

Arizona

Krećući se istočno od Kalifornije, pronaći ćete poznati rudnik ahata za koji je poznato da otkriva opale. Najviše se ističu planine Mule, dom rudnika Opal Hill u regiji Palo Verde. Količina opala koja je ovdje otkrivena nije zabilježena, ali opali često isplivaju na površinu dok se kopaju poželjni agati.

U južnoj Arizoni nalaze se rudnici Sky Opal u okrugu Santa Cruz. Ovdje se pojavljuju lijepi mekani plavi opali. Još jedan popularan rudnik je Burro Creek, regija za proizvodnju minerala u Wickenburgu poznata po proizvodnji kolekcionarstva rockhounda i američkih opala.

Idaho

Idaho je svjetski poznata država dragulja zahvaljujući svojoj geološkoj raznolikosti, privlačeći goniče u blizini i daleko kako bi ih sakupljali po bogatim zemljama. Država proizvodi živopisan portfelj dragulja, od ahata do dijamanata, i naravno, opala !. Opal u Idahu uključuje:

Vatreni opal
Opasti trak
Hijalitni opal
Obični opal
Opalizirano drvo

Drevne vulkanske stijene i gejziri opskrbljuju opale u Idahu. Gejziri bi izbijali milijunima godina, izranjajući kugle silicija u tekućini obloženoj slojevima dragocjenog opala. Dok je traka s bojama tanka, ovi se opali najčešće koriste za izradu opalnih trojki.

Gdje nalazite opale u Idahu? Najistaknutije regije uključuju rudnik opala Spencer, potok Willow, dolinu Pahsimeroi, poison otrov, moskovske rudnike opala i djetelinu potok.

Utah

Utah je prostrana planinska zapadna država koja graniči s Koloradom, Wyomingom, Idahom, Arizonom i Nevadom. Budući da se nalazi između tri države koje proizvode američke opale (Arizona, Nevada i Idaho), prikladno je da Utah ima i opale. Međutim, ovi su opali jedinstveni entitet, zahvaljujući svom jedinstvenom povezivanju. Možemo zahvaliti geotermalnoj aktivnosti pod zemljom što je formirala tako fantastičnu američku sortu opala!

Opasi iz Utaha , koji se nazivaju i slaninasti opali, ili slatkiši sa slatkišima, predstavljaju jedinstvenu prugastu liniju sličnu traci mesa slanine. Tople nijanse crvene, žute i zelene nižu ove ploče i uzorke. Iako Utah nije vodeći dobavljač opala, oni dolaze iz regija diljem države.

Međutim, najznačajnije je mjesto Opal Gemstone Mine u Milfordu, kameno nalazište u rudarskom okrugu Terlo Springs Antilope-Roosevelt koje cijene kolekcionari željni vidjeti jednu od najjedinstvenijih američkih vrsta opala na svijetu.

Rudnik se od tada zatvorio, a proizvodnja je bila mala dok je bio aktivan, ali opali iz Utaha i dalje kruže cijelim tržištem opala kao novost.

Washington

Najsevernija zapadna država Washington obilno proizvodi drago kamenje poput ahata, karnelija i krvavih kamena. Međutim, američke opale možete pronaći i u državi Washington!

Blago jedinstveno za Washington su opalizirani primjerci drveta. Kad se drvo zakopa u tlo, mineralizirana voda i niski kisik stvaraju fascinantan proces koji se naziva permineralizacija. Umjesto razgradnje, silicijev dioksid čuva drvena tkiva pretvarajući ih u opalizirane drvene fosile.

Osim ovog izuzetnog blaga, u Washingtonu možete pronaći i obični opal, iako su razine proizvodnje minimalne, unatoč potražnji i interesu.

Washington Opals rijetki su i nedostižni, ali se mogu naći u sljedećim regijama:

Whelan - prva američka lokacija koja je otkrila američke opale!
Rijeka Yakima u Sunnysideu
Vječna rijeka u okrugu Skamania
Greenwater River u okrugu King

To završava zapadne izvore, ali gdje drugdje možemo pronaći opal u SAD -u?

Arkansas

Arkansas možda nije najistaknutija država za opskrbu draguljima u SAD -u, ali zaslužuje spomenuti na ovom popisu američkih nalazišta opala. Krajem 19. stoljeća ljudi su se okupljali u Arkansasu kako bi se pridružili užurbanoj žurbi bisera. U Murfreesborou, Državni park Crater of Diamonds opskrbljuje respektabilnu količinu dijamanata. Osim raznih vrsta kvarca, Arkansas ima i mali izvor opala.

Arkansas je treći po proizvodnji dragog kamenja (4,89 milijuna dolara) u Sjedinjenim Državama, a postoji nekoliko regija za pronalaženje opala, uključujući Potash Sulphur Springs u okrugu Garland. Arkansaski tipovi opala uključuju dendritički opal, dragocjeni vatreni opal, a u istočnom i južnom Arkansasu opalizirano drvo prisutno je u hijalnom opalu.

Louisiana

Pitate se, može li se opal naći u Louisiani u svim državama? Odgovor je da, i zove se Louisiana Sand Opal. Ove rijetke vrste opala su vrsta pješčenjaka koji je nekoć vađen u formaciji Catahoula u Leesvilleu.

Louisiana Sand Opal nastaje kada se zrna pijeska spoje s bistrim opalom. Nakon što je uzorak izložen sunčevim zrakama, mješoviti sastav prikazuje blistavu igru boja u živopisnim mrljama ljubičaste, plave i zelene boje. Najtraženiji opali u Louisiani imaju tamni ton tijela koji najbolje pokazuje kamenu igru boja.

Proizvodnja opala u Louisiani povijesno je mala u proizvodnji, a istaknutost se povećavala i smanjivala 1980-ih i 90-ih. To znači da je Louisiana opal iznimno rijedak i nedostižan. No, postoji još jedna vrsta opala iz Louisiane koja je mnogo obilnija: Louisiana Palm Wood.

Kao i opazirano drvo Washingtona, palmirano drvo Louisiane je oblik opaliziranog oborenog palminog drveta, koje zapravo nije pravo drvno zrnce. Umjesto toga, palmino drvo je vlaknasti materijal koji se nalazi u lokaliziranim biljkama. Kako su dlanovi propadali u podzemnu vodu, silicijev dioksid je rastao i očvrsnuo u okamenjeni palmin opal.

Ako ste na tržištu opala iz Louisiane, najbolje je palmino drvo!

Prodaju li se opali u SAD -u?

I to završava našu turneju po američkom opalu pronađenom u SAD -u! Sjedinjene Američke Države možda se nikada neće boriti s Australijom za proizvodnju opala, ali kao što vidite, rijetke i nove sorte opala postoje od mora do sjajnog mora. Naravno, američki zapad najistaknutija je regija američkih opala, ali granajte se istočno, a pronaći ćete i jedinstvene sorte. Jeste li spremni dočepati relikviju sa Starog zapada?

Pronađite vrijedne i rijetke američke opale na Opal Auctions!