The Opal Journey In Lightning Ridge
Indigenous Origins of Opal
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that the following post contains mention of deceased persons.
The Aboriginal origins of opal are part of the Dreamtime stories. The one that resonates the best with Vicki is from a wonderful wise Aunty (Elder) in Lightning Ridge. She hailed from the local Kamilaroi people and was much loved in the community. The dreamtime story of the origins of opal was passed to her and it is repeated in her words below.
“A long time ago in the Dreamtime, one of the most beautiful of all creatures was Pallah-Pallah the butterfly, with her beautiful dazzling multi-coloured wings. She lived happily with her family near the reeds of the Coocoran Lake. She would often wander the high mountains they could see a long way away which were covered in white, and the white on the tops of the mountains would shine when the sun shone on them.
Her husband who was named Ballah-Ballah often told her not to leave the safety of the grasses and reeds that grew around their home on the beautiful clear water lake. But one day when her husband went fishing. Pallah-Pallah thought she would go and have a quick look at the white on the mountains.
When she flew up high everyone looked at her beautiful coloured wings and said “she looks like a rainbow”. Pallah-Pallah flew higher and higher, and she could see the mountains covered in white. She was excited and said “I will go right up there and see this white for myself, then I will return and tell my husband.”
As she reached the high mountains snow began to fall. Snow beat down on the frail and weak Pallah-Pallah. She fell to the ground and the snow covered her. She didn’t die, but lay quiet and went to sleep while the snow fell and buried her.
She lay under the snow until spring came. As the snow melted away so did Pallah-Pallah’s beautiful colours. The colours just disappeared, melting into the snow. As the snows melted down the mountains and across the plains the colours ran with them to disappear into the ground near the lakes and ridges. Pallah-Pallah looked at her wings and they were no longer beautiful.
She returned to her husband and family and everyone was sad to see that she was no longer a beautiful butterfly but a plain moth, just grey and brown.
The beautiful colours that disappeared from Pallah-Pallah’s wings went into the ground at the Morillah* – stone ridges and lakes formed the colours of the rainbow on the dazzling opal stones. That is how the opal came to be”.
As told by Aunty June Barker Copyright – 1999
* Morilla Street, Lightning Ridge
Serenity arrives at DTEO
From Tucson USA to Lightning Ridge Australia, Serenity stands proud in the black opal capital of the world
On Saturday evening 21st October 2017, Vicki Bokros celebrated not only her newest arrival at Down To Earth Opals, but also the journey that has led her to her success over the past 25 years. Locals sipped champagne and helped welcome “Serenity” to Lightning Ridge.
Serenity, a 7 foot steel statue of a woman, featuring long hair made from bike chains which flows effortlessly down her back, looking out into the distance, her arm outstretched, fingers releasing a butterfly.
Serenity is the artwork of John T Benedict, an artist and sculptor who resides in Tucson, Arizona USA. Vicki fell in love with Serenity, as she has done with Lightning Ridge and the inspiration she treasures from living here.
You can find Serenity in the courtyard of Down To Earth Opals which is her new home after travelling all the way from Tucson more than 13,000km away. Serenity resonates with Vicki through the connection of cycling, her other passion next to opal jewellery design.
The butterfly in Serenity’s hand reminds Vicki of the Dreamtime story Pallah Pallah.
Provenance
Vicki’s 35+ years living in Lightning Ridge (including 15 years in opal mining) showcase her profound expertise and dedication. From staking claims and handling heavy machinery to tracking opal traces and working underground, she has mastered every aspect of the trade. Then transitioning to opal wholesale within Australia and around the world, and finally creating the stunning bespoke DTEO retail showroom which parallels the quality of the opals within it.
Trained by one of the ‘old guard’ highly experienced opal cutters in Lightning Ridge, Vicki’s ability to read rough opal, cut and polish is unmatched, honed over three decades of examining thousands of stones.
Her deep knowledge of the local fields and the rarity of opals has earned her immense respect. Vicki’s meticulous sourcing ensures each opal from Down to Earth Opals has a unique stock code tied to its mining field.
Her passion and expertise is now being passed on to the younger DTEO team, ensuring that her legacy and the provenance of these extraordinary opals will continue to shine for decades to come.
Sustainable Mining In Lightning Ridge
Opal mining in Lightning Ridge commenced in earnest in 1901. A far sighted state government at the time considered the mining practices in other Australian States and determined that the industry should not be allowed to be run by large companies rather that it be undertaken by individuals or small family partnerships. The size of an opal claim was therefore set at 50 metres x 50 metres and one individual or company could only take out two mining leases. As a consequence of this, opal mining in NSW ultimately employed thousands of individuals who mine the resource – storing mullock carefully in regulated waste dump sites and making little impact on the environment around them which comprises animal farming and agriculture.
Mining and farming still co-exist into today with access and mining practices on agricultural leasehold land regulated by legislation. There are currently approximately 2,200 mineral claims within the estimated 3,000 square kilometres of land with mining potential, which represents a miniscule fraction of the total land.
As new fields were opened up, additional regulations were enacted to ensure that land was managed appropriately and upon a mining lease being handed back, rehabilitation occurs to the surface to allow for vegetation to re-establish. In addition, shafts are backfilled to ensure that there is no hazard to wandering stock or other wildlife.
During actual mining operations the impact is minimal at the mine site. Truckloads of opal dirt (mullock) are carted to central wash sites where water is stored from rains and floods in addition to natural overflow from the town artesian baths. This water is used to wash the opal dirt and expose the hard opal nobbies. Water is moved therefore from one settling pond to another in order to maximise its effectiveness and minimise waste. In addition, miners assist landholders with regard to dealing with noxious weeds including a nasty cactus that has found its way to the area and is currently under an eradication programme spearheaded by the Miners Association.
In 2000, the Resources and Energy Department of NSW introduced three compulsory mining courses which must be attained in order to be allowed to practice opal mining. They include mine management, mine safety, and rehabilitation. As a result, mining is exceptionally safe and miners are conscientious about their operations. A by-product of this was that through formal education, miners also gained an understanding of the importance of opalized fossils and therefore pass on substantial fossil material to the Australian Opal Centre located in Lightning Ridge. Thanks to these efforts, new species of ancient animals and plants have been discovered – especially land-living dinosaurs that were hitherto unknown in the area.
