Pink Opal

For many years, the only deposit of pink opal was found in Peru. Then in 2011, Glenn Archer of Australian Outback Mining discovered a new find in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia, just east of the coastal town of Carnarvon.

- By Russ Kaniuth

This new pink opal comes in an array of colors, ranging from deep rose pink to almost white. Much of this material has beautiful swirling patterns and a brecciated variation. The nice part of this new find is the size; the seams seem much larger than you would normally get from Peru, giving you more space to design cabochons.

PURCHASING PINK OPAL

If you're looking to buy some of this material, you can find it on Glenn's online store at: www.gemstonegeeks.com. It's fairly easy to see what you are getting, as this comes from a horizontal seam, and the sides of each stone show its contents. Whether you are looking for larger areas of pure pink, the swirling patterns or brecciated variation, the pictures online will show you what you will be getting.

HOW TO SLAB PINK OPAL

Slabbing this material is fairly easy, but with all opals, it can be on the brittle side. If you plan on putting the rough in a larger saw gripped by a vice, I would suggest using a sintered continuous rim blade that is as thin as you can get it. Cutting with an aggressive thinner agate blade could cause fractures and massive unwanted chipping.