Australian siblings Isaac and Sophia were recently on an outdoor treasure hunt when they accidentally dug up thousands of brilliantly colored precious opals (opal), one of the world’s most beautiful, precious and rare gemstones. (Courtesy of Isaac)
A pair of Australian siblings recently dug up thousands of brilliantly colored precious opals (opal) during an outdoor treasure hunt, worth up to $1.2 million, fulfilling a dream of two generations of the family.
Brother Isaac Andreou and sister Sophia accidentally unearthed many rare stones, weighing a total of 150 kilograms, in a town called Yorah, west of Brisbane.
Isaac and Sophia accidentally unearthed thousands of precious opals in brilliant colors while hunting for treasure outdoors recently. (Courtesy of Isaac)
The Andrews family and opals are inextricably linked. The siblings, both professional opal hunters, learned the trade associated with opal, including mining, cutting, polishing, appraising, and selling it, under top experts in the field. Their parents, on the other hand, have been in the business of mining and selling opals since the 1960s, but have never made a similarly significant discovery.
Originally from Sydney, Isaac now spends most of his time in the barren, hot and arduous region of southern Queensland, searching for rare and precious opals; his sister Sophia runs an opal store in the Whitsunday Islands, focusing on the retail business.
Opal is one of the world’s most beautiful, precious and rare gemstones. (Courtesy of Isaac)
It is known that more than 90% of the world’s opals are found in the Australian Outback, also known as Australia’s “national stone”, and is scientifically known as opal, a hydrate of silica with an amorphous structure, so it has no certain shape and is one of the most beautiful, precious and rare gems in the world.
Depending on the hue of the embryo, opals usually come in blue, green, yellow, red, dark green, cerulean, white, etc. The variegated opal, represented by Australia, is gorgeous and colorful, combining the beauty of all gemstones in one, and is sought after by Westerners as one of the six most precious stones in the world because of its strong variegated effect.
The colorful opal, a gorgeous and colorful stone, combines the beauty of all gemstones. (Courtesy of Isaac)
Isaac told The Epoch Times, “When we were very young, our parents dabbled in all different types of opals. From childhood on, it always felt like there was a story, almost like a story about this particular material that had been taken to heart.”
Dave Darby, the mine owner who has been searching for opal, was also involved in the digging operation. As they mined with the excavator, Sophia, a trained expert in assessing the value of opal, soon realized they had stumbled upon a treasure trove of opal, containing thousands of pieces valued at $1.2 million (about $928,000).
They also found a special type of opal in the area this time, called Opal Nuts (Opal nuts). This is a matrix giant colored opal that is valued for the unique color it produces in the fractures that intersect iron ore.
It is known that more than 90% of the world’s opals are found in the Australian outback. (Courtesy of Isaac)
It is known that under local Australian law, for Australian citizens, gems found outdoors belong to the individual.
Among all their finds, the most valuable one is a “Yowah Nut” with a perfect crystal core, known as the “Yowah Moon”, the rarest of all opals, valued at over $50,000.
Apart from this “Yowah Moon” and a few other top quality stones considered to be of museum quality, which are temporarily reserved for public exhibition, many other stones are for sale through the Opal Hunters website and can be viewed by gem lovers around the world.
Isaac and Sophia recently unearthed thousands of precious opals of brilliant color while hunting for treasure in the great outdoors. (Courtesy of Isaac)
The siblings now hope to purchase their opal mine for $50,000 AUD, and more novel discoveries may follow.
In addition, their discovery will be aired on the Discovery Channel’s television series Outback Opal Hunters, which focuses on miners searching for opal. Isaac’s goal is even more ambitious, as he wants to make their story into a full-length film.
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