Tobias Opals – About Tobias Opals

The first discovery of opal in Australia was made in the Barossa Valley on Tarrawilla Station near Angaston, south Australia by German geologist Johannes Menge in 1849.

After this there are reports of opal being found in 1875 in the Abercrombie mountains, new south Wales. Opal was discovered at white cliffs new south Wales in 1890, then in Opalton Queensland in 1896, also at Lightning Ridge New South Wales in 1905.

Opal was discovered at Coober Pedy, Australia in 1915, where mining became established after the first world war, at Andamooka, South Australia in 1930, and Mintabie south Australia in 1976.

Now the mines are finding it more difficult to find good opals, making the market of opals more valuable. There are no two opals in the world that are the same. It's like DNA, each one has its own beauty and unsurpassed by any other gem.

The Romans believed opal to be lucky and they established it as a gemstone, obtaining their opals from traders in the middle East. The Roman name Opalus [Latian] is based on an ancient Indian word meaning precious stone. The Romans valued opal above all other gems, believing it to combine the beauty of all precious gems. It is well documented in roman history that the Caesars gave to their court as gifts of good luck. The oldest mines, are the Hungarian opal mines which operated up until 1932.

My First experience with opals came though dear friends, Luna and Don Felix, who are jewelers in Santa Fe, New Mexico. They have a great passion for mining for their own opals. They asked me if I would like to join them on a trip to the peacock mines in Nevada, so my son Lucas and I joined them on this excursion.

On the second day of digging into the hill side I found a 170.2 ct black opal specimen. As I cleaned this stone I began to see deep intense flashes of color. Needless to say I was instantly addicted to opals; the colors were amazing. The only problem was you had to keep the specimen opal in water only to gaze at it though a glass jar. The piece was valued at $6,000.00.

Then, in my search for opals someone could touch and wear, I found a contact in Australia and thus began my passion of cutting and polishing opals. I began to enjoy leaving the stone in its natural shapes, sometimes shaping the opal in traditional shapes as well. I personaly prefer the natural shapes that come to me.

Each rock is a new adventure in shaping them with a limestone water wheel. Then begin the different stages of polishing and bringing out the beauty that is from within the gem. I love contemporary design in jewelry, so I feel these stones, in their natural shapes made available to you through my hands, will inspire beautiful contemporary jewelry.

Randolph Johnson

Please enjoy looking at our fabulously crafted opals. You are sure to find the opal of your dreams. Click the photos on our Opal Menu to view enlargements and details.

Orders are placed on the order page. You may also send us an email from our contact page.

Thank you for visiting Tobias Opals.