Where Opals Speak for Themselves

A visual collection highlighting the color depth and character of each opal.

Colorful opal gemstone with vivid patterns
Top gem harlequin opal triplet mined and cut by Jim Donovan.
Lush greenery and distant hills
The opal mine from the entrance.
Colorful opal pendant on black background
Fabulous free-form Spencer opal triplet mined and cut by Jim Donovan, custom set in sterling silver by a master silversmith. Contact us for pricing.
Colorful opal pendant on black background
Brush stroke patterned Spencer opal triplet. Mined and cut by Jim Donovan. Custom set in sterling silver by a master silver smith. Contact us for pricing.
Polishing a stone using a rotary tool
Lapping a Spencer opal triplet.
Close-up of gemstone inspection by jeweler
Getting a closer look.
Hands using a saw on bone
Sawing an opal pocket out of the base rock. Diamond blades and lots of water are required for sawing opals.
Close-up of glistening opal in hand
Beautiful rub that is ready to hit the flat lap.
Forest and rocky hillside view
One of the first pictures taken at the mine when development just started, in the late 1960's Photo courtesy of The Spencer Opal Mines.
Natural stone with rugged texture
Opal as it appears in the main vein at the opal mine.
Rustic scene with vehicles and cabin
When the public was first allowed to dig at the actual mine, they were shuttled up from the town of Spencer in an old school bus. Getting there was half the fun, according to those who hopped on the bus. Love the old outhouses in the background! Photo courtesy of The Spencer Opal Mines
Workers in a quarry setting
At the mine years ago with AJ, the mine owner. Well, his wife owns it, she just lets him work there!
Man hugging Rottweiler on rocky terrain
140 Lbs. of guard dog at the mine!
Close-up of colorful opal stones
Inspecting a piece of Pink base opal vs White base opal.