The Opals of Australia documentary of Patrick Voillot

English : Deutsch : French : Italian : Spanish : Chinese : Russian : Japanese : Shakespeare described the opal as “the Queen of Gems.“ This gemstone is fascinating. It contains all the colors of the rainbow within it, and since ancient times, it conveyed happiness to all those who wore it. Since the end of the nineteenth century, new opal deposits were discovered in Australia. The beauty and quantity of the stones coming out Australia disrupted commerce for all other gems. Unscrupulous dealers used the success of fictional novels to inflate its worth, and have ultimately bestowed a curse on this magnificent stone… the trickery has worked to bring bad luck to the opal, and the price is collapsing. This film transports you into this country-continent, and makes you participate in the discovery and history of these exceptional gems. The local Aboriginal term kupa-piti means “white man’s hole“, where the town of Coober Pedy is now built. This is a fascinating place, resembling a termitary, where actual mounds of white opals can be found. Men dig tirelessly throughout the region in search of the gem. They use dynamite and bulldozers to reach the veins but the means to locate them is very subjective, some use radiesthesie or the historic experience of others. This part of Australia, was once covered by a sea, and has withdrawn today, leaving significant fossil-rich sediments. During its formation, the opal was deposited into the skeletons of prehistoric animals. A fully aquatic dinosaur opal was found in the south. You will understand through animation how this formed a natural curiosity. You will also go to the West to discover the black opals in Lightning Ridge. The Opal is an extremely fragile hydrated mineral. Only the most highly trained experts know how to carve it. The Jewelers of Dior used the black opals of Lightning Ridge, the rarest, to achieve one of the creations of Victoire de Castellane.