Post by Sabre52 on Jul 23, 2007 20:01:05 GMT -5
Well, just back from the ranch where I got to see my friend Tom's finds from his Rainbow Ridge trip last month. Forgot my stupid camera but he says I can photograph his finds for you guys next time I go up.
Like Steve Holmes said in his report, Tom told me the atmosphere has changed a lot at the mine since "Pat" from the Cash and Treasures program showed her hunt with all her ridiculously inflated opal values. The owners say now the people who are showing up are more the get rich quick treasure hunters rather than rockhounds and that their attitudes are sometimes kind of "not nice". Guess because of that, the owners are planning to close the mine to public fee digging after next season and the price on a scoop of unworked mine product went up from $300 to $400 this year.
Anyway, once again my buddy was incredibly lucky. He had to wait around six days for a scoop because he had not phoned in a reservation. ( He went out and got carnelian "beautiful!" and fossils, agate etc while he waited) as they only sell a few scoops per day but what he found had me totally gasping with amazement. His scoop contained lots of small stuff with amazing color but the big finds were a broken up opalized log in four of five pieces totaling maybe five pounds with clear and black fire opal on the outside and white opal on the inside. One piece of this log is solid white base pinfire multicolored opal that has to be at least a two or three inch cube. He also showed me a piece of wood with botryoidal opal on the outside that was all crystal clear opal with fire throughout. This hunk was maybe 3 inches by two by one inch and beautiful. These did not even come close to his best find though. He found a tree branch broken into two matching pieces with a knot and a side branch maybe two inches by one inch totally replaced by clear crystal opal totally full of fire of all colors ( red, green, purple, blue etc) visible from all sides just floating in the crystal . Hands down the most beautiful opal I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. I flat couldn't even believe it. Plus he found probably a third of a five gallon bucket of other fire opals and lots of fine casts in potch or clear opal with just a bit of color. Man, what a haul!!!
Then to top it off, he went to the Dugway geode beds and cleaned up and to Wyoming where he found a new location for Sweetwater type agate. Man he had me drooling.
Anyway, Next month I'll make sure and remember my camera and see how well I can photograph opal.....mel
Like Steve Holmes said in his report, Tom told me the atmosphere has changed a lot at the mine since "Pat" from the Cash and Treasures program showed her hunt with all her ridiculously inflated opal values. The owners say now the people who are showing up are more the get rich quick treasure hunters rather than rockhounds and that their attitudes are sometimes kind of "not nice". Guess because of that, the owners are planning to close the mine to public fee digging after next season and the price on a scoop of unworked mine product went up from $300 to $400 this year.
Anyway, once again my buddy was incredibly lucky. He had to wait around six days for a scoop because he had not phoned in a reservation. ( He went out and got carnelian "beautiful!" and fossils, agate etc while he waited) as they only sell a few scoops per day but what he found had me totally gasping with amazement. His scoop contained lots of small stuff with amazing color but the big finds were a broken up opalized log in four of five pieces totaling maybe five pounds with clear and black fire opal on the outside and white opal on the inside. One piece of this log is solid white base pinfire multicolored opal that has to be at least a two or three inch cube. He also showed me a piece of wood with botryoidal opal on the outside that was all crystal clear opal with fire throughout. This hunk was maybe 3 inches by two by one inch and beautiful. These did not even come close to his best find though. He found a tree branch broken into two matching pieces with a knot and a side branch maybe two inches by one inch totally replaced by clear crystal opal totally full of fire of all colors ( red, green, purple, blue etc) visible from all sides just floating in the crystal . Hands down the most beautiful opal I've ever had the pleasure of seeing. I flat couldn't even believe it. Plus he found probably a third of a five gallon bucket of other fire opals and lots of fine casts in potch or clear opal with just a bit of color. Man, what a haul!!!
Then to top it off, he went to the Dugway geode beds and cleaned up and to Wyoming where he found a new location for Sweetwater type agate. Man he had me drooling.
Anyway, Next month I'll make sure and remember my camera and see how well I can photograph opal.....mel
