Hunting Opals for Dummies

Blue Arizona opal

The staff geologist (yes, we have one) has done a little rockhounding in his time, especially the years he lived in the Rocky Mountains. Ask him some time about his topaz and tourmaline crystals and the barite rosettes he dug up... For would-be mineral hunters, especially those who know little about geology, the best way to find your own minerals is to buy a book or join a local mineral collecting group and join them on field excursions. If it's opal you desire and you're located in Arizona, the worst way to find specimens might well be to follow the directions barfed up by Nikki Dodd in "How to Mine Arizona Opals," niched at OurPastimes.com by Leaf Group.

If someone on the staff were interested in opal hunting in Arizona, the geologist would probably refer them to books such as Gem Trails of Arizona or Rockhounding Arizona. Dodd, on the other hand, seems to think that you just walk – or drive – out into the hills and opals will leap into your pockets. Here's some of her advice:

• "Opals are commonly found in hilly or rocky areas. This can be hard on cars."
• "As Arizona is over-mined, making sure you have time to go to several different locations may help maximize efficiency."
• "Dig in a rock bank or in a stream using a pick, rack [sic] or trowel. Sift through dirt and rock until you see something out of the ordinary."
• "Wash off the rock with a spray bottle, carefully separating it from the rest of the organic materials in your bucket."
• "Fire opals are orange, red and yellow. They are known for their clarity and minimal play of color."
• "While exploring these now-abandoned mine shafts can be a good historical experience, you are much more likely to find gold than opal."

We have no idea what to "dig... using a... rack" means. The notion's not in any of Dodd's references, but then there's nothing about opal-hunting in Arizona in any of them, either. Weirdly enough, one of her refs actually links to a blog post about Arizona's Opal Hill Mine, but Nikki apparently missed it... like she missed all of the useful information out there and instead focused on bushwa. Exactly what we'd expect from a Dumbass of the Day.

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