Ethically Sourced Opal
Minimizing Environmental and Human Impact in the Mining Industry
Starting from a very young age my passion has always been natural history. It's important to me to think about how my actions are impacting the earth and ecosystems around me. Since large-scale industrialization, mining gemstones and precious metals has had a huge negative impact on ecosystems globally. When we buy a gemstone we are buying a part of nature and I think just like with purchasing anything it is important to think about where that item came from and how it was obtained. Was the ecosystem that this gem forms in destroyed in order to obtain it? Who mined your gem and where were they properly compensated for their labor?
Sadly in the gem industry, we often don't have this information. For me, it's incredibly important to understand the path these gems took from the ground to my hands. Sourcing all my rough material directly from my mining partners and cutting all the material myself gives me confidence that I'm minimizing my negative effects both on the human and environmental side of a mining-based industry.
Australian opal mining is unique in a lot of ways. Due to the scarcity of gem opal and the unpredictability of opal mining, large companies mostly avoid investing in mining operations. Most of the mining done in the Lightning Ridge area is by small independent miners whose passion is opal. A mining crew is typically 1-5 people working a claim that is between 30 and 60ft underground. Most of the work is done by hand or by a small hydraulic digger. Having the majority of the mining take place deep underground leaves the surface ecosystem relatively undisturbed hugely minimizing the environmental impact.
Working with Australian opal provides the unique opportunity to be educated about exactly where the stone you are working with came from and who mined it. While minimizing your environmental and human impact in an industry that is riddled with environmental and human exploitation