GREAT FIND

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 74, 23 June 1928, Page 6

GREAT FIND

OPAL WORTjII £2OOO. BEAUTIFUL STONE. WALGETT, N.S. Wales, June 13. Some splendid finds of opal have been reported from the Grawin field, 46 miles from Walgett, near Cumborab, and from the old-e«tablished field of Lightning Ridge. Some extraordinary large pieces of "potch" have been unearthed at the Grawin, among which was one weighing something like' 11 'pounds, while another weighed just a pound less. At Lightning Ridge a wonderful stone has been found, and is regarded as the finest specimen yet won on the field. It is described as a beautiful gem, and, roughly dressed, measures 6Jin. by 2in., and weighs 790 carats. Red, green, orange, blue, gold, and almost every known color,' are blended together,, making the stone a perfect picture of exquisite and ethereal beauty. Miners whd have been •on the field for the past 20 years aver th'at they have never seen an opal to approach it, and definitely claim the discovery as unique in the history of the gem world.

It is difficult to estimate the value of the stone. Some calculate it to be worth £2OOO. It is 3tated that the lucky digger was offered £IOOO, and a second-hand Ford car for it, hut the offer was not sufficient to tempt him to part with his find.