Opals are unique gemstones. They display a distinctive dynamic play of color caused by a silica dioxide microstructure that both diffracts and refracts light into the colors of the visible spectrum. Colors seen in opals are because of interference of light waves, so the observable play of color depends on the nature of the light where the opal is being viewed.

Getting Started @ Lightning Ridge

In the early 1990s, a young woman named Vicki Bokros, who grew up on Australia’s Gold Coast, fell in love with opal. After a chance encounter with a gemstone dealer where she saw a stunning collection of opals, Vicki set out to Lightning Ridge to seek her fortune.

At only 19 years old, Vicki’s goal was to stay at Lightning Ridge for a few weeks, buy opals, then head home to process and sell them. But her plans changed when a rough opal nobby purchased with her last $500 revealed a stone that became the famous ‘Southern Princess’ — a5.40-carat oval-shaped black opal with a rare ribbon pattern.

The sale of this opal enabled Vicki to buy a beautiful sandstone miner’s camp on the fields, where she settled and became an opal miner, cutter and wholesaler.

This was not a traditional job for a young woman. The small, male-dominated mining town was a tough place, but it provided the perfect setting to learn everything there was to know about opals, especially black opals.

By the mid-1990s, Vicki opened her first shop on the main street because of buyers knocking on her camp door. In 2000, she purchased the property that is now the global headquarters of Down To Earth Opals (DTEO) and where a stunning state-of-the-art retail store and gallery emerged in 2021.

Down to Earth Opals Today

These days, DTEO is run by Vicki and her husband Andrew Kemeny, a former mortgage broker whose passion is the science, physics and chemistry of opals. Andrew has also become an accomplished opal cutter, award-winning opal carver and is designated mine manager for their hobby opal mine.

The DTEO retail shop in Lightning Ridge celebrated 20 years in its current location in 2020. During the pandemic, Vicki and Andrew planned an extension of their space to 1,000 square feet, coupled with a complete renovation to create a world-class retail space that would be a must-visit destination.

This included incorporating opal education and hands-on experiences for visitors including all opal types mined in the Lightning Ridge area and their top gem-quality black opals which are rarely seen on public display. This is all complemented by authentic First Nations artworks, textiles and handmade jewelry from around the world.

Lighting is critical as opals viewed in the showroom must look the same when they are taken home. “The most sophisticated elements of the new showroom are lighting, flooring, I.T. and cabinetry, which were tackled simultaneously by expert suppliers within Australia and around the world,” says Andrew.

“It took six months for our lighting contractor to source an appropriate solution, eventually from the U.S. Lighting throughout the new space has a color temperature envelope as close to natural sunlight as possible and is all created by efficient LED technology incorporating hybrid chips. The final layout and intensities are determined by computer simulations to desired lux levels at every part of the shop.”

The space also features bespoke cabinetry designed from the ground up, a first-of-its-kind simulated 3D photographic image of an opal washing tank printed on commercial vinyl flooring from the Netherlands, comprehensive security systems with backup electrical power, and a state-of-the-art opal cutting and polishing workshop created in the back of the house allowing for hands-on visitor demonstrations and personal teaching.

Coming to America

You don’t have to make a trip Down Under to take advantage of all Down to Earth Opals has to offer. The company’s website has been overhauled to complement the physical showroom in Lightning Ridge.

Featuring a new contemporary look, the website uses professional photography, video and animation to tell the story of DTEO and showcase the highest quality black opals and opal jewelry. Vicki is the jewelry designer and creates each jewelry piece from scratch.

“I consider the best orientation for maximum play of color, vibrancy and appeal, and then create the setting to accentuate the opal’s beauty,” says Vicki. “Our designs are all bespoke and every setting is passionately hand-made for the stone.

I am proud that the opal is mined here, cut or carved in our workshop, designed on the premises and then set by one of our three jewelers who all reside within Australia.”

Of course, nothing can compare with meeting Vicki and Andrew and seeing their opals in person. After a three-year hiatus, DTEO will be present at the 2023 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show at their usual locations (listed below).

“We have been longing to return to Tucson to see our customers, friends and colleagues. Over the past 20 years, we have met the most incredibly talented and passionate people from all over the world at Tucson.

Many have become personal friends, with the love of opal being the common thread that binds us together,” says Vicki. “If you have been watching the Aussie series of Outback Opal Hunters then we may have a treat in store for you.”

This sponsored business profile about Down to Earth Opals appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story and photos by Audrey Pavia.

The post Meet Down to Earth Opals first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

About Mt. Baker Rock & Gem Club

Rock and gem clubs across the country have been challenged by declining membership and limited funding resources. Recently though, Mt. Baker celebrated an astonishing first anniversary. Their bold experiment led to new growth and the club is gaining momentum attracting people to rockhounding and lapidary skills.

Located in the Cascade Mountains 90 minutes north of Seattle, Whatcom County is home to the community of Bellingham. The Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club is one of the oldest continuously operated local nonprofits in the area. Attracting people of all ages, the organization’s long-standing priorities include providing educational opportunities to the public and funding scholarships to geology students attending Western Washington University.

Making the Decision to Move

Founded in the 1950s, the club’s history includes both abundant and lean times for financing their lapidary room. Since the 1980s, they used free space through the Bellingham Parks Department. This same building was rented by the club for monthly meetings and an annual show. Over the decades, the rates went from free to a modest space rental fee. Eventually, rates increased to be at or above those of renting commercial space in privately owned buildings.

Ultimately the Mt. Baker club faced the reality of being unable to pay the rates.

They moved out of their long-held space in early 2019 and needed to find space for meetings and the annual show.

Finding the Right Space

In November 2020, the club learned that the Bellis Fair Mall in Bellingham had space available. Like other malls, Bellis Fair Mall has suffered declining occupancy. There were two spaces in the mall that would work. These were spaces with a tile floor, sink, access to bathrooms and access to the mall’s indoor foot traffic.

Club president, Candi Gerard, approached the mall to explore renting space. She reached out to the manager with a certain space rental budget in mind.

“I was shocked when he came back and said yes, we want you,” Gerard explained. “They provided us with a contract which we went over with a fine-tooth comb.

We changed a couple of things, took the contract to our full board, and discussed it further. It was a new and scary thing to sign a contract, but we knew that if we didn’t find a solution, our club would die. The mall allowed us to sign a single-year lease.”

The mall does require that visitors and staff wear masks – something that has generally been treated with courtesy and respect.

Opening a Mall Store

One of the big surprises of the mall venture has been the way the space lends itself to selling member products. Club members sell their pieces and volunteer time for managing the space.

Members bring their specialties to the space. For instance, one member specializes in small mineral specimens while another works with large pieces of petrified wood and agate. Another member also sells stone-handled knives.

Displaying members donate their time based on the sales spaces they are using and make a donation to the club for the space they use. This has been beneficial for the club’s overall financial position.

The future of the show circuit remains uncertain, so the storefront is filling a void.

“Before Covid there were rock and gem shows where we could sell pieces,” said club member, Walter Hekala. “But going to shows isn’t all that fun anymore for those of us in our more chronologically advanced years. Selling in our store is a lot better than the show circuit for some of us.”

Club members who aren’t selling are starting to see the benefits of the storefront and are engaging in volunteering more. It does take a lot of people to manage the store during high traffic business hours to prevent theft. Recently, the club added a bulletin board where any member can post a note on what they may be selling.

Mixed-Use Space

The space is large enough for class offerings. Talented members have taught wire wrapping, tumbling and gem identification classes. This year the club will be adding classes on cutting cabochons and polishing rocks. Working with mall security, classes, offerings and the lapidary room are all available after mall hours.

Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club is expanding beyond a traditional rock and gem store. For instance, one of the space limitations is the ability to offer big bins of stones. The storefront had some metal racks left from the previous renters. There were also some acrylic display cases, all of which have been pressed into use.

From Foot Traffic to Membership

The mall space offers the Mt. Baker club some bonuses. Previously, the mall space was a candy store. People continue to show up looking for candy and generally stay and explore their rock and gem shop.

The shop features rocks and gems and recently has added the sales of jewelry, books and pamphlets about different metals as well as grit for tumblers. In the future, the club would like to sell tumblers too, but currently, they are not available because of supply chain issues. Used tumblers quickly sold out when made available.

The abundant windows of the Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club storefront invited some fall and winter surprises. More than 400 trick-or-treaters visited the Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club store on Halloween. The club gave out traditional treats and tumbled rocks to attract rock pups and rockhounds to the store again.

In December, the storefront was adjacent to Santa’s mall presence. This attracted even more families to visit the store – which in some ways acted as a mini rock and gem museum. People asked questions, sometimes bringing in their own stones to be identified. Visitors made donations to the club and inquired about their presence beyond the holiday season. In some cases, they became members. Membership grew from 109 people in 2018 to 180 at the start of 2022.

Keep Moving Forward

The Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Club confidently signed another one-year lease at the end of their first year. They ended their year in a much-improved financial position. They look forward to a longevity position while expanding public interest in rockhounding and lapidary arts.

This story about a mall rock club previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Deb Brandt.

The post A Rock Club Mall Store Success first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.