The mining fields

Gold, silver, lead, copper and zinc are exploited in Australia, diamonds can be found in the Kimberly mountains in the north-west and the Australian legend are, with no doubt, opals.

Coober Pedy is the Kingdom Of Opals. Life here takes place under the ground and the actual name Coober Pedy is Aboriginal and means something like white fellow's hole in the ground (wonder how they’d call the London tube).

There are five opal shops in each street and if you want to make a bargain, Coober Pedy is the right place. The only trouble is that you need to know what you're bargaining over.

This is the theory: An opal's value is determined by its colour and clarity - the brighter and clearer the colour, the better. Brilliance of colours is more important than the colour itself. Another important characteristic is the type of opal: the most valuable are crystal and black opals (these are found in Queensland - embedded in the rock and therefore when seen in the shops, they have part of the rock on their back side). The natural pattern of the opal is also a determinant of value as well as it's a shape - a high dome is better than a flat opal - and the size. Now all you need is a good eye!

Most opals sold in Europe are cheap white opals. What can also be found in the shops are synthetically made "doublets" or "triplets" - these are opals that have piece of rock attached to their back side (to imitate the situation described in the previous paragraph).
People in Coober Pedy dig their own opal mines and some of them spend 25 or more years under the ground. On their own. Some miners commit suicide there. There are about 250 000 mine shafts in the area – although the total number of shafts that can be dug is supposedly regulated by the local government.