This month celebrates the rather unusual gem stone, the opal.
Birthstone for October and National Gem Stone of Australia.
We welcome John and Leisha Wheeler all the way from Lightning Ridge in NSW, and their stunning collection of loose stones and jewellery designs both on display and for sale.
Australia is the worlds main source of opals, producing 97% of the earths resources. So called because of the large deposit of iron stone, Lightning Ridge is the only area to find the rare black opal.
Formed from tightly packed silica, the rainbow of colours found in an opal is formed by the light that reflects and refracts between these tiny silica balls.
Flashes of red in a White opal, found mainly in Southern Australia, are the most desirable.
This is "The Tempest".
A black opal from Lightning Ridge. It weighs an immense 519 carats.
This is "Tree of Life".
It weighs 295 carats and was dug out of the ground in 2002.
So, come and visit us at 37 High Street, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1XL
01892 525 874
This amazing exhibition runs from Tuesday 1th - Saturday 15th October
10-1 and 2-5
Black opals have vivid sparks of blues and greens.
