Why don't ALL Opalised Fossils look like Opal? - Australian Opal Centre, Lightning Ridge

[@Marleyfresher]

4:17 "gas released from a crayfish".....sooooo basically a crayfish farted and it turned into an opal 🤦🏾‍♂️😂

[@CuriosityMine]

That would be awesome! But alas, it’s a gastrolith (stomach stone) not a fart. 😁

[@williamburrows6215]

Sooo cool! Thank you for the time it took to out this together and thank you to the lady for her time and knowledge!

[@CuriosityMine]

You’re very welcome! Thank you for taking the time to watch and comment. Glad you enjoyed! 😁👍

[@anasevi9456]

Great video of some beautiful finds and their stories behind them. If I had found gorgeous yabby button would be over the moon despite not realising what it had formed from. Glad that these gorgeous fossils are being recognised and preserved in their original state. Much thanks to you and Jenni.

[@CuriosityMine]

Thank you so much! It’s great to be able to tell these stories and get them out there for everyone to enjoy and learn about. Thanks for your comment! 😁👍

[@inhalefarts]

Kinda like how the legendary Wootz Damascus Steel did not always harden with the visible spiraling patterns it's partially so famous for. Even though it's the same material and tool that is functionally the same item aside from that one aesthetic thing, and it's still some of the best sword steel around, it's worth no where near as much to a collector if it didn't form the iconic patterning, because I guess it's really not just the material itself that you're buying, but the luck as well!

[@CuriosityMine]

That’s a great analogy! Opalised fossils are a weird scenario where you’re looking for the absolute best of two things that only sometimes coincide. Fossils are hard to find but relatively common in some areas, but amazing and scientifically significant fossils are always rare. Opal is also relatively easy to find in opal bearing areas, but gem opal is very very rare. The crossover between amazing and significant fossils and gem quality opal is so tiny it’s genuinely incredible we see any fossils with gem opal colour in them at all. I wanted to use a Venn diagram in the video to illustrate this, but the circles would barely touch each other. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching! 😁👍

[@trevormiller1366]

Awesome! Dino bits with bling, who could want for more! Personally I reckon potch is pretty cool, it's still millions of years old and looks like strange shiny bits of glass. Great video! 👍

[@CuriosityMine]

Trevor Miller thanks Trevor! Potch certainly deserves more love than it seems to get. 👍

[@harleyv1969]

Probably the best way to be introduced to the opals, great video 👍👍

[@CuriosityMine]

Thanks so much! 😁

[@Cordy712]

That turtle shell is a straight up magical artifact.

[@CuriosityMine]

It’s seriously one of the most epic things I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen a lot of opal, but nothing like that turtle shell. There’s some weird quirk in the way the opal has formed in that specimen that’s created colours, patterns and a shimmer that is so unlike all other opal. It’s a gorgeous thing. 🐢

[@nicolemurray-jeffery7433]

This was a fantastic learning experience. Jenny knows her stuff. Thanks for sharing 😊

[@CuriosityMine]

Thanks so much - Jenni is amazing! Really appreciate the comment! 😄

[@coreymerrill3257]

I have some small boulder opal pieces in my first ever opal parcel that look like gemmy fossils. I'd like to be bake to show pictures and see if anyone can tell .

[@coreymerrill3257]

One is my brightest little stone .

[@jorgematos7140]

Nice ..

[@ramblinrobs47]

She is amazing! Cheers 🥂 to her for the lessons ☺️

[@CuriosityMine]

Jenni is the best! Thanks so much for watching and commenting. 😁👍

[@clivebey6666]

I found the whole crystallized toilet in Jamaica I think it's common opal but the bottom of the shell is crystallized

[@jacobhaugum6033]

Anyone know where I can get opalised fossils identified ? I’ve got a claw/tooth found in andamooka I would love to know what it come from !

[@williambowman6548]

Can I send you a picture I have opal necklace good-sized opal that looks like it has gold in the bottom of the opal and I have a white opal I just want to know the approximate value and if it looks real they're very old my mom's mom was a self-made millionaire and that she bought it when my mom was a little girl now she's passed away

[@clivebey6666]

I have the iPhone the bullet opalized curve crystallized bottom and the whole work in Jamaica I have it at home right now you could check it out on my page thank you

[@Koroitopal]

Good job Jenny, your dedication to the opal industry is astounding.

[@kevbruce9191]

"A nice little pet dinosaur 🦕 " lol....well said Jenni

[@jamesmonoghan1281]

I polish and shape fossils, they're fair game for a shaman.

[@SHERMA.]

awesome video dont stop posting!

[@casseld73]

How knew. Thanks

[@CuriosityMine]

You’re welcome, thanks for watching. 😁👍

[@Crow-xm3nm]

Would you be able to give me any insight on Indonesian opal? I’ve been talking to a miner and I would like to get into collecting and selling some but I’m nervous because I’ve not heard much about it. Looks beautiful especially the fossils. I just don’t want to get screwed. Thank you guys for what you do!

[@CuriosityMine]

Hi Crow! We're hoping to cover Indonesian opal (and opal from several more countries, too) in a future video. Unfortunately, we can't really offer any advice with regards to making purchases other than to do your research and purchase from reputable sellers. Good luck with your collection, and thanks for watching! 😁👍

[@Crow-xm3nm]

@@CuriosityMine i was curious on the quality. Does it crack easily like Ethiopian? Also does heat treating it decrease value. It’d be awesome to hear about that in future videos.

[@AEON.]

Are worms actually Dinosaurs? (They are older than Dinosaurs aren't they?) Do worms "Petrify?"

[@CuriosityMine]

Worms are invertebrates, dinosaurs are reptiles; so no, worms are not dinosaurs. Being largely soft tissue, worms don’t really fossilize well. However, there are definitely fossilized remains of worm tubes (where they have moved through the soil) and related secondary fossils. Unfortunately none from Lightning Ridge or fossilized in opal that I’m aware of!

[@AEON.]

@@CuriosityMine I just read this - "A 550-million-year-old worm was one of the first animals to move and make decisions, a new study says. Who would've thought an ancient worm would fill in an important blank in evolution? Tracks from a worm-like creature were preserved in fossils nearly 550 million years old" - but if its a casting of a tube - how the heck do they know this? Well maybe the worms in TREMMERS the movie are real and they just live a lot deeper in the ground lol #NeverKnow! And they are one of the least known and studied animals (the bigger ones anyways! because they are so fragile) Yeah, the first animal to move and make decisions! Crazy stuff! Worthy of a video yeah?!

[@TheJamesweese]

I think the polished bone was a gorgeous specimen.

[@CuriosityMine]

It certainly is! Thanks so much for watching and commenting! 😁👍

[@MrJonashjensen]

Deep time is a Lie...

[@nickadkins7765]

How would one go about purchashing a precious opal snail shell? 🤔

[@TheOldladyB]

Absolutely stunning fossils.

[@beverlywright6219]

Thank you so much very interesting.

[@CuriosityMine]

You’re very welcome! Thank you for watching. 😁

[@nigelkavanagh2048]

Brilliant vid! Very interesting.

[@CuriosityMine]

Thanks so much Nigel! 😁

[@wilsonrawlin8547]

Outstanding video from an archeological aspect. Great information. Amazing that this particular process only happened this way in Australia. The Opals in other parts of the world do not show the play of color like in Oz. Nothing else compares. Not that they can't be beautiful, but very different.

[@CuriosityMine]

Absolutely -- Australian opal is sedimentary, whereas the majority of opal from other continents is volcanic (massive generalisation there), so Australian opal is definitely very distinct! Thanks for watching. 😁

[@fiftyhunnug]

That Boba Fett in the background is awesome!

[@CuriosityMine]

Thank you, haha. 😁 It’s a repainted 19” action figure, there’s more info about it here: www.colonpipe.com/builds/repainting-boba-fett Thanks for the comment! 😁👍

[@fiftyhunnug]

@@CuriosityMine Lol, nice!

[@ce4072]

The fossilized pinecones are so cool!

[@CuriosityMine]

They really are! Thanks for watching. 😁

[@scottpeters5624]

Fascinating, learnt a lot, thanks for spending the time to make and share, The turtle shell reminds me of labradorite,, I suppose its silica based and the light refraction principle is the same

[@CuriosityMine]

Hi Scott, thanks for your comment. That turtle shell is one of the most amazing and unusual pieces of opal I’ve ever seen - and that’s without even considering its part of a 100-million-year-old turtle! The shimmer on it is bizarre. Labradorite is a feldspar mineral, the colour patterns are made by sheets of tiny material rather than spheres of silica as in opal. But the way the colour moves on these pieces is definitely similar! 😁

[@piepstok7292]

Nice!

[@CuriosityMine]

Thank you so much! 😁

[@T9B_jewelry]

👍👍👍🌈🌈🌈

[@veganbutcherhackepeter]

I love these educational videos. Thank you.

[@CuriosityMine]

You’re very welcome! Thank you for watching, I really appreciate it. 😁