Image: The Independent
June was a busy month for opal news with the BBC online and Independent newspaper delving into life in Coober Pedy and White Cliffs, plus a very close look at the inner life of opal using a unique form of photography.
Glittering prize: The booming demand for opals
The BBC investigates how global demand for Australian opal is soaring, pushing up prices of the gemstone. With a vast fortune at their fingertips, how are the opal miners of Coober Pedy, the opal capital of the world, managing this demand when the gemstone is so notoriously hard to find?
White Cliffs: The Australian town where people live underground
The Independent investigates how in the outback keeping cool is a matter of survival, so residents of the unique opal mining town White Cliffs have built subterranean homes to beat the heat.
Roll Your Blunts and Peer Inside These Gemstones
Take a closer look inside the mystical world of opal with Danny J. Sanchez and his photomicrography technique, which uses a microscope to magnify a subject and take its picture.
Remote community living under a cloud of uncertainty amid ownership review
The ABC reports on an announcement by the South Australian State Government that it would consider returning ownership and management of opal mining township Mintabie to its traditional owners — the APY Lands.
Britt’s JCK Las Vegas Pick: Parlé’s Opal Flower Necklace
JCK fashion blogger, Brittany Siminitz, falls in love with Idaho-based Parlé Jewelry Designs' stunning Opal Flower Necklace, which featured in the May issue of JCK magazine.
The Remarkable Opals of JCK Las Vegas 2017
A roundup of the brightest, best and most beautiful opal jewellery designs from the June JCK Las Vegas show.