Rockhounding Precious Opal In BC Canada!!⛏
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2022
- Well at the end of one of my last trips I decided to take one last stop at the Shelford opal beds. I've been there once before and didn't find all too much of anything aside from a little bit of agate and common opal. I actually went a little off trail in this one and found some awesome opal digs, I believe someone else was digging there before me at some point but they left behind some awesome shards on the surface!! Hope you all have a great weekend, thanks for sticking around!!😁
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What a gorgeous spot! I’d never leave…well, until winter… Also nice haul!
Thanks, I think I might return to this spot again this year!! I also have a new area with precious opal that I want to explore this year, seems like great potential out there!!
Great video. ❤
I love the opalescence in those stones. Green is my favourite colour and I love the depth of it in those precious pieces😊
I love the greens too!! the flashes really remind me of the aurora borealis!! 😃
Nice precious opal man!
That precious opal is killer, I love those colour flashes!!
Wow! Missed your videos lately! It sure was good to see you! Wow, you quickly jump from some common opal to precious opal pretty fast. And those gorgeous flashes of color! Those pieces of precious opal are gorgeous. Thank you for sharing and it was great to see you again!
Thanks!! I've been a little busy lately but I've definitely missed the rockhound community. Hopefully soon I'll be making more videos as work slows down a bit, just getting everything winterized at the moment. Hopefully I can get some work done on the trailer too, would be so awesome to have a home on the road next season!!
You sure got some really nice pieces from the agates, common opal to the really good stuff just love the rainbow affects opal gives off thanks for sharing 👍
Thanks!! The opals really remind me of the aurora borealis, the colours seem to just come out of nowhere!! 😁
Soooo cool Liam! Can’t wait to hit up this spot with ya next Summer 😎
For sure!! Its a pretty awesome spot. I've also got a pretty good size contra luz nodule from up there!! It isn't all that stable for lapidary just like a lot of hydrophane out there but it is an awesome stone to have in the collection😁
Way to go. Awesome awesome
Great video! Looks like you had a long walk out there. Those are all very beautiful! I love common opal and precious opal. Would love to see what you make with them. Missed your videos and was hoping that you were ok. Good to see you again. Thanks for sharing!✌️🤠
Thanks!! I can't wait to try cabbing some of the white common opal!! the problem with the precious opal is that it is hydrophane meaning it is porous and can soak up water and dry out too, this can cause crazing and ruin the specimens. Luckily the common opal seems to be more stable so if I am going to try working with any of it, that's what I'd probably choose. 😁
@@NWRockExplorer Great, would love to see a video of you cabbing some common opal! Is there any way to stabilize the precious opal enough to work on? Do they have to seal precious opal when they make jewelry with it? Obviously I don't know a lot about making opal jewelry. I did know that some people that find it in different places keep it in a jar of water, so I knew that it will dry out and crack. You found some beautiful pieces with incredibly bright flash in it!
@@kylaabegglen1275 Only stable opal is cut.
As a wrestler Picking berries before picking stones is one of the best things I do
Wow, gorgeous finds, well done over there. Super pretty pieces, love the colors! Great video, cool experience and journey! Pretty area too!
Thanks!! It is a pretty awesome area, sadly lots has been logged off due to the pine beetle but now theres a bunch of berry bushes coming up and its all starting to come back to life again. I wish the trail were better maintained but since it is a volunteer maintained trail i cant really complain🙂
Great to see you again ! Wow what spectacular finds. Thanks for sharing with us and I hope you’re keeping well 😊
Thanks!! Yea I've been gone a while!! Hopefully I'll get to be a little more active soon as things wind down for winter🙂
Shout out from the Island Liam! Loving the video😊
Glad you liked it, I honestly didn't expect to find much but I had a gut feeling that I should still film the trip. Turned out way better than I expected and I've never seen any precious opal that came from that site before, definitely a great surprise!!😃
absolutely wonderful video man !! keep up the great prospecting videos!
Thank you!! hopefully I'll get some more up soon!!😁
Nice to see you back on UA-cam! Miss your awesome adventures. I'm hoping to back out there myself. You're a great inspiration.
Thanks!! I've been quite busy lately but I'd really like to start uploading more!! I also have eyes on some great spots for next season once I get my trailer fixed up😁
Wow! Pretty stones. It would be cool to find some kind of sturdy bobble that could hold a bit of water{or oil?} that could be sealed and hung from a pendant. The flash is beautiful.
Awesome idea!! I could probably find a small cork top one just for that!! Put a little eye screw in the cork, glue it and it'd be perfect!!😁
Super! Glad I could help!
Broooo! Soo good! Berries and precious! Loooooove!
Soo many berries this year, it's been pretty wet up north so the berries are nice and plump. Just the other day I was still picking huckleberries and blueberries up in the mountains, pretty cool how they are still producing!!
@@NWRockExplorer I wish. We had a wet start, then nothing. Full on drought until now and we are still setting temperature records. Did you see the dead salmon in the southern rivers? Heart breaking. It makes me happy to see some places are still as they should be. Thanks for sharing.
Any day with POC ids a good day.
Love the video I mined opal in BC very fun where can you find it even
There are a couple public dig sites in BC, first is the Klinker opal property and another is the Shelford opal beds which is lesser known for its precious opal. I have also heard of other recent discoveries being made around the province!!
wow didnt know opals formed here, i live on the edge of the sudbury basin what r my chances id find them out here
nice specimens Candian precious opal is so different from the precious, opal we get here in Australia
For sure!! I love Australian opal, I think its mostly hosted in sedimentary rocks over there where ours is almost all hydrophane and is hosted in volcanic rock, very similar to Ethiopian opal.😁
We have opals in Canada!!!! 🤯
There's actually quite a few known localities of precious opal in BC!! It's all hydrophane opal that forms in volcanic rock as far as i know. Each deposit is pretty unique though!!
@@NWRockExplorer thanks for the information!
lol...do you time your gemstone hunts with the berry seasons 😊...love your channel and looking forward to more
Thanks!! There's always something out there to forage!! Most of my digs start in the summer and end in the fall so it pretty much lines up with the berry and mushroom seasons🙂
Next time you go up there ... talk more :) Maybe a 1/8th minus screen & a shovel might help
Thanks!! I'll definitely have to make myself some screens!! Yea I wasn't really expecting to find anything up there, generally that area only produces potch but i got a little lost this time and stumbled across this spot!! I would like to talk more in my videos but I never know what to talk about, not a very talkative person in real life either😅
Is this near the Shuswap?
These are the Shelford opal beds in Burns lake BC. There is also the klinker opal property but its a fee dig, located in Vernon BC🙂
Awesome videos 🎉 thanks! Is this just an open place people can go to hunt? I’m a new rock hunter and I’m trying to learn where I can, and cannot go. Thanks!
Thanks!! This is at the John Shelford Opal beds In Burns Lake BC, it has been protected as a public dig site so anybody can dig there with basic hand tools. Just make sure to bring some bear spray and keep an eye on where you're going, I wondered off trail a couple times there😁
you can pretty much rockhound on any crown land here in BC. As long as it is not a provincial park, reserve, or private property you're in the clear🙂
@@NWRockExplorer thank you so much for the info and the help!! 🪨🥰
Where is this
Can you tumble the precious opal? They are so small. What will you do with them?
These opal will likely stay as specimens, There's a couple tiny ones that could be cabbed for a ring or something but I'd be worried as this hydrophane opal is quite fragile.🙂