The Sentiment of Opal
The sentiment of opals will be carried through from generation to generation. We all have something that holds sentimental value. It may be a piece of jewelry, an item of clothing, or a recipe, in this case, it’s this opal. Let me take you on a journey of how this opal found its way to me.
The Value of Sentiment
There is something wonderful about one’s life story and the treasures that are passed down. Constantly building a narrative and adding to the trove of heirlooms through each generation.
On the first day of my latest trip to Lightning Ridge, I bumped into one of my dad’s best mates. He is a miner who has now retired from the mining game. "Justin, I have something special I have been waiting to show you" he said, "I’ll pop around to your place soon".
Special is an understatement! After being tucked away in his safe for many years, I cast my eyes on this incredible gem opal rub. Mined out of the Allawah Field in Lightning Ridge, this gem has been his nest egg and now he’s ready to part with it.
The Value of Friendship
This miner and my dad Jurgen were great mates. Dad opened his heart, home and shared his wealth of expertise and knowledge. Due to my father’s kindness, I receive the same respect from his old friends. My first thought when seeing the opal was knowing how special it is to me. Furthermore, how wonderful this will be as a heirloom for my family. Being able to take the gem to the wheel and add my own final touches to it, makes it all the more special.
The Heirloom
Transforming this already incredible piece of Lightning Ridge nobby opal. Into a spectacular polished gem black opal has been both a heartwarming and emotional journey. Putting together this story to share with you all has allowed me to reflect on the time I spent learning from my dad. Reminding me of the importance of spending quality time with my son and passing on my skills and knowledge. After cleaning off some of the sand and polishing the gem, we end up with a 7.56ct Black Opal with a Cloverleaf pattern. Which now happily resides with my family of other beautiful and very personal gems.
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