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Australian opals are known for their unique beauty and quality, making them some of the most sought-after gemstones in the world. Opals are formed over millions of years in sedimentary rocks, and Australia is home to some of the world's finest opal deposits. One of the most well-known opals from Australia is the Black Opal, which is found in the Lightning Ridge region of New South Wales. Black Opals have a dark body tone that allows the brilliant play of colors to stand out, ranging from deep blues, greens, and purples to reds, oranges, and yellows. Another popular variety is the Boulder Opal, which is found in the outback regions of Queensland. Boulder Opals have a unique appearance, with a natural ironstone matrix surrounding the opal. This creates a striking contrast between the rich colors of the opal and the earthy tones of the matrix. Opals are a popular choice for jewelry, and Australian opal jewelry is highly prized for its unique beauty and quality. Opals are often used in rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, and can be set in a variety of metals, including gold, silver, and platinum. When purchasing Australian opal jewelry, it's important to consider the quality of the opal. Look for opals with bright and clear colors, with no cracks or inclusions that can affect the stone's durability. It's also important to ensure that the jewelry is made from high-quality materials and that the design complements the natural beauty of the opal. In addition to being a beautiful gemstone, opals are said to have healing properties and are believed to enhance creativity, imagination, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you're looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift, Australian opal jewelry is a beautiful and meaningful choice. Opals are often used in rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, and can be set in a variety of metals, including gold, silver, and platinum. When purchasing Australian opal jewelry, it's important to consider the quality of the opal. Look for opals with bright and clear colors, with no cracks or inclusions that can affect the stone's durability. It's also important to ensure that the jewelry is made from high-quality materials and that the design complements the natural beauty of the opal. In addition to being a beautiful gemstone, opals are said to have healing properties and are believed to enhance creativity, imagination, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you're looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift, Australian opal jewelry is a beautiful and meaningful choice. When purchasing Australian opal jewelry, it's important to consider the quality of the opal. Look for opals with bright and clear colors, with no cracks or inclusions that can affect the stone's durability. It's also important to ensure that the jewelry is made from high-quality materials and that the design complements the natural beauty of the opal. In addition to being a beautiful gemstone, opals are said to have healing properties and are believed to enhance creativity, imagination, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you're looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift, Australian opal jewelry is a beautiful and meaningful choice. In addition to being a beautiful gemstone, opals are said to have healing properties and are believed to enhance creativity, imagination, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you're looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift, Australian opal jewelry is a beautiful and meaningful choice. When purchasing Australian opal jewelry, it's important to consider the quality of the opal. Look for opals with bright and clear colors, with no cracks or inclusions that can affect the stone's durability. It's also important to ensure that the jewelry is made from high-quality materials and that the design complements the natural beauty of the opal. In addition to being a beautiful gemstone, opals are said to have healing properties and are believed to enhance creativity, imagination, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you're looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift, Australian opal jewelry is a beautiful and meaningful choice. In addition to being a beautiful gemstone, opals are said to have healing properties and are believed to enhance creativity, imagination, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you're looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift, Australian opal jewelry is a beautiful and meaningful choice. In addition to being a beautiful gemstone, opals are said to have healing properties and are believed to enhance creativity, imagination, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you're looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift, Australian opal jewelry is a beautiful and meaningful choice. When purchasing Australian opal jewelry, it's important to consider the quality of the opal. Look for opals with bright and clear colors, with no cracks or inclusions that can affect the stone's durability. It's also important to ensure that the jewelry is made from high-quality materials and that the design complements the natural beauty of the opal. In addition to being a beautiful gemstone, opals are said to have healing properties and are believed to enhance creativity, imagination, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you're looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift, Australian opal jewelry is a beautiful and meaningful choice. In addition to being a beautiful gemstone, opals are said to have healing properties and are believed to enhance creativity, imagination, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you're looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift, Australian opal jewelry is a beautiful and meaningful choice. In addition to being a beautiful gemstone, opals are said to have healing properties and are believed to enhance creativity, imagination, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you're looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift, Australian opal jewelry is a beautiful and meaningful choice. When purchasing Australian opal jewelry, it's important to consider the quality of the opal. Look for opals with bright and clear colors, with no cracks or inclusions that can affect the stone's durability. It's also important to ensure that the jewelry is made from high-quality materials and that the design complements the natural beauty of the opal. In addition to being a beautiful gemstone, opals are said to have healing properties and are believed to enhance creativity, imagination, and emotional wellbeing. Whether you're looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or as a gift, Australian opal jewelry is a beautiful and meaningful choice.

The Role of Opal in Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

Views : 9529
Category : McKenna Mulvany
Date Posted : Nov 13, 2020

Although it is known as “Australia’s National Gemstone”, opal has had a relatively short cultural impact on the nation’s identity. It has only been 120 years since the opal mining industry truly boomed and the gemstone became one of Australia’s most sought after exports. Considering that opals formed millions of years ago, it would make sense to assume that they had to have been discovered long before the nineteenth century.

Proof of opal being an intrinsic part of Australian cultural heritage for thousands of years can be found in many Aboriginal Dreamtime stories. To Indigineous peoples, Dreamtime was an era of creation, when spirits roamed the earthly plane and manifested all living things into existence. For generations, these stories have been passed down orally, and they now constitute what is considered the oldest organised belief system in modern history. Cave paintings and rock art depicting scenes from Dreamtime stories have been dated back to more than 6,000 years ago.

Although not explicitly mentioned by name, opals are thought to have been referenced to in several different Dreamtime stories. There are two stories in particular that allude to the “birth” of opal during the creation era. The first involves one of the most well known deities in Dreamtime, the Rainbow Serpent.

The Rainbow Serpent is an incredibly powerful spirit that is said to have created the geography of the Earth with the movements of their body. After the Serpent had finished shaping the Earth, they coiled up into a water hole to hibernate. It is considered disrespectful to disturb any source of water, as it could be where the Rainbow Serpent is trying to rest. If roused from slumber, the Serpent may bring cyclones or flooding to express their discomfort.

After a storm, when the sunlight first begins to peek through the clouds, the Serpent is able to travel from one watering hole to another. Their great body arching in the sky forms magnificent rainbows as they undertake their journey to a new home. While the Serpent flies, multicoloured scales fall from their body and land on the earth as opals.

The second story also involves a rainbow. In this Dreamtime tale, one of the Creators decided to travel to visit humans on the earthly plane, in order to spread their message of peace. The Creator is said to have travelled around on a brilliantly vivid rainbow. Whenever the Creator would disembark from the rainbow, and their feet touched the ground, the stones below began to sparkle with all of the colours in the world. This was the first sighting of opal by mankind.

Opals’ association with creation spirits gave them a meaningful association to Dreamtime and the Aboriginal faith. It is for this reason that many believe Indigineous peoples never attempted to mine, trade, or associate any monetary value with the gemstone. Opals were as much an integral part of the landscape as any other rock, tree, or creature.

But when European settlers arrived in Australia and opal was re-discovered as a precious gemstone, Indigineous peoples were not adverse to the subsequent birth of the mining industry. Opal shifted into a different type of importance as a catalyst for a potentially fulfilling career. Opal miners were a diverse community of both locals and immigrants, and the job offered a sense of safety and independence that most others couldn’t provide. Many Aboriginals became leading figures of success during the mining boom, and these legacies are continued in the twenty-first century by their second and third generation ancestors.

There has been very little academic research linking opals with Aboriginal cultural heritage. The majority of what is out there is oral history adapted from Dreamtime stories. Unfortunately, there is also a saturation of inaccurate claims that are not grounded in any sort of fact. It can be extremely difficult to differentiate between what is actually truthful and what is nothing but an internet myth.

Going forward, one of our main goals at the Brisbane Opal Museum is putting in the necessary time and effort into filling in these gaps and truly attempting to understand the role of opal in Aboriginal cultural heritage. We would very much like for the community to assist us in this endeavour. If you have any information or knowledge to share regarding the questions below please email [email protected].

Is there any proof that opal was considered sacred? If so, how does the sacredness of opal relate to the Rainbow Serpent?

Why is there (historically) so little knowledge about this topic? Does it have to do with the lack of interest in Aboriginal culture among Western settlers? Or could it be an issue of language barriers?

Is there any pre-modern Indigineous art that displays opal?

References:

Australian Opal Centre. Opal: Queen of Gems. [online] Available at: australianopalcentre.com/opal/. [Accessed 09 Nov. 2020].

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, (2020). Opal - Australia’s National Gemstone. [online] Available at: pmc.gov.au/news-centre/government/opal-australias-national-gemstone. [Accessed 09 Nov. 2020].

Eragem Blog, (2014). Opal Legends of Australian Aborigines. [online] Available at: blog.eragem.com/2014/10/opal-legends-of-australian-aborigines.html. [Accessed 09 Nov. 2020].

Kate Owen Gallery, (2020). The Rainbow Serpent Dreamtime Story. [online] Available at: kateowengallery.com/page/rainbow-serpent. [Accessed 09 Nov. 2020].

Michael J. Connolly. The Rainbow Serpent. [online] Available at: https://www.kullillaart.com.au/dreamtime-stories/The-Rainbow-Serpent. [Accessed 13 Nov. 2020].

The Australian Opal, (2020). Some Facts About Opals. [online] Available at: theaustralianopal.com/some-fun-facts-about-opals. [Accessed 09 Nov. 2020].

The Role of Opal in Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

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