There are 3 main types of precious opal found in Australia: light, black and boulder opal. The majority of our jewellery is made with Australian light opal from the opal fields of the state of South Australia. The mining areas are spread through the far north east of the state. The main mining centre is Coober Pedy, although the surrounding mining areas of Mintabie, Andamooka and Lambina are still mined on a limited scale.

Mining for opal is for the majority undertaken by individuals, families or partnerships. There are no large scale mining companies involved unlike most other natural resources. Consistently finding opal is the biggest impediment, due to the way opal is formed and the opals softness relative to the hardness of the host rock precludes industrial diamond style mining methods. These factors conspire to make yields unpredictable, which is a significant reason large scale mining companies have never been involved.

Mining for opal is for the majority undertaken by individuals, families or partnerships. There are no large scale mining companies involved unlike most other natural resources.

Consistently finding opal is the biggest impediment, due to the way opal is formed and the opals softness relative to the hardness of the host rock precludes industrial diamond style mining methods. These factors conspire to make yields unpredictable, which is a significant reason large scale mining companies have never been involved.

Mining in Coober Pedy peaked in the 1970's and is currently in a state of decline, making the sourcing of rough opal a difficult and expensive process. We have buyers on-site in Coober Pedy during the mining season. We also have representatives who visit Coober Pedy on a regular basis. We foster strong ties with miners in order to maintain good on-going relationships, and generate "win win" situations.

Rough opal is purchased as a parcel, made up of a wide variety of grades which only expert eyes can determine the potential value. There is an inherent risk in buying opal in the rough form as the true value is not absolutely known. There are many factors which may greatly value or devalue a parcel, which can only be determined once the opal has been cut and polished. The expertise of the Opal House team, with over 120 years combined experience in opal, excels in this area. jewellery market.

Once the parcel of opal reaches our offices we are ready to begin grading the rough stone. The rough is sorted into relative values, then sent to the factory for cutting. Often we hold back unusual or very high quality opal until we find it necessary to cut.

The higher grades of stone are given to our most skilful cutters who carefully identify the run and direction of colour in the rough opal; this dictates at which angle the opal is cut. The angle of the cut can alter and change through a single piece of rough, a skilled cutter chases the colour slice by slice.

This is the true art of cutting, for if an opal is cut in the wrong manner its value and more importantly potential beauty are lost forever. Opal House has the skill sets and team to maximise the yield from the rough opal we source. We process opal on a scale which is unmatched by any other opal jewellery manufacturers.

Depending on the size and shape of the rough opal it is then cut and polished into either free form which follows the shape of the rough or calibrated shapes and sizes essential for making large scale commercial opal jewellery. The basic range of calibrated shapes are oval, round, pear or teardrop and marquise. The sizes we cut are dependant on the shape of the stone, for example ovals are produced from 5mm x 3mm to 16mm x 12mm

Depending on the size and shape of the rough opal it is then cut and polished into either free form which follows the shape of the rough or calibrated shapes and sizes essential for making large scale commercial opal jewellery. The basic range of calibrated shapes are oval, round, pear or teardrop and marquise. The sizes we cut are dependant on the shape of the stone, for example ovals are produced from 5mm x 3mm to 16mm x 12mm

For over 25 years Opal House has been designing jewellery, we have seen fashions come, go, and some return. During this period we have accumulated a catalogue of over 6000 designs. Many of these only remain as a part of history in our design books but we are constantly designing for each season.

We cater for multiple geographical locations and cultural tastes to which we tailor specific jewellery ranges. We use our extensive experience in the market and keep up to date with trends in jewellery globally. We do not however neglect the fact that classic design and style is timeless.

Our client base stretches across the full spectrum of positions in the fine jewellery market space, from exclusive boutiques to large scale jewellery stores. This throws up numerous challenges due to the multitude of design and opal quality combinations needed to satisfy the end consumers tastes and budgets. For this reason we maintain a wide and diverse variety of jewellery appropriate to our client's needs and expectations.

At trade fairs throughout the year we produce special "show" pieces both to attract the attention of our potential customers and for our customers to attract the attention of theirs. These pieces are usually inspired by an opal of unique quality, a unique concept or a trend inspired design idea. Collaboration with free lance jewellery designers has also yielded some exciting results in recent times.

Opal is a unique gemstone in size, shape, and chemical properties, requiring highly specialised jewellery manufacturing techniques.

The manufacturing facilities of Opal House are located in the Shunde district of Guangdong Province, China. Our experienced craftsmen utilise opal specific techniques developed and honed by Opal House for more than 40 years. Enabling us to achieve and sustain the highest level of workmanship for our jewellery.

The intricacies of our expertise are often undetectable, as the setting of every opal, is finely tuned to maximise its visual appeal. Our methodology goes further to minimise damage and wastage of opal and other materials; these efficiencies can only be attained with years of experience. The aesthetic and financial benefits are inturn passed on to our clients through the superior quality of our jewellery.

Our manufacturing effort is split into two areas: The production line focused on fulfilment of substantial orders from our global clientele including a distinguished list of OEM and ODM partners; and a team who concentrate on maintaining our stock levels to maximize the choices for our clients throughout the year.

Common to both areas is the focus on R&D, constantly seeking improvement in our manufacturing methods and techniques, in line with our positioning as the global opal jewellery manufacturing leader. This has culminated in the rise of manufacturing efficiency, leading to lower prices and shorter manufacturing lead time, both critical in today's ultra competitive market place.

Opal House has an extensive distribution network spreading to major and emerging markets; while Europe and the US remain our biggest; the Middle East, China and Eastern Europe including Russia are becoming increasingly significant for us year on year, as the popularity of opal grows in these regions.

To maintain our global presence we attend the most prominent jewellery fairs around the world. They include the March, June and September Hong Kong jewellery fairs (September is one of the largest jewellery shows in the world); Basel Fair in Switzerland (the most famous jewellery and watch fair on the European calendar), the Tucson gemstone show (the largest gemstone show in the world), the JCK show in Las Vegas and the JA show in New York (the best attended shows in the US).

For more detailed information on the trade fairs we participate in, please click on our "Trade fair" for a full listing.

In the past decades, we have established links with many jewellery houses, and maintained ODM and OEM partnerships with a list of renowned retail and wholesale operators and chain stores. Despite our cooperation with large scale clients, our sales and distribution channels are perfectly tailored for smaller operators selecting opal jewellery for their business.

Due to the fact we maintain a large inventory of jewellery, our clients generally look over our latest opal collection and place orders accordingly or simply hand pick items for delivery on the spot. Our inventory size also means that our clients can visit us and make purchase at any time of the year in our Hong Kong office to suit their selling and sourcing seasons.

Regardless of the buying power of the customer, Opal House promises to have the right merchandise, delivered at the right time to satisfy their opal jewellery needs.