SANTA FE MERCANTILE


Welcome to the Tucson Blue Precious Opal Fields Page.
Please scroll down to read our adventures in the Opal Fields
and to view photos of the site and this precious opal stone in it's
natural "hiding" place.


April in the Arizona Desert can be very hot. 90 degrees in the daytime isn't unusual. This day it was about 80 degrees. Hot enough! Getting to this camp site (can you find the tent?) was the beginning of a great adventure. You cannot take a car or truck in but we went in on a 3 wheeler that our mine owner made. Quite a ride! Beautiful country all the way in filled with western history of the Anasazi, the building of Missions and the more modern outlaws and lawmen.
Tucson Blue Precious Opal was formed by ancient volcanos and is part of the silicone rock that fills the mountainsides here. If you study this photo closely you can see the ribbon of blue running down the middle of the rock. It almost looks like water trickling down. This is very hard stone. Much of it is an unmistakable, vivid blue with all the firey colors you expect from opals. Reds, greens, blues and rainbow colors flash through these stones. You will also find variations in the colors of the stones that range from pale blue to what is considered "black opal" or a very deep blue.
This is a piece of excavated rock wet down to better display the blue opal running through the rock. Because this precious stone was formed by volcanic activity, it is not only very beautiful but also very hard and durable. This beautiful opal will not pit, chip, dry out or crack the way water opal does. Firey and lovely as it is, you can wear this daily without fear of damaging the stone. Our opal miner cuts and polishes all of the stones and our gold/silver smith designs and hand makes all of the beautiful jewelry these stones are set in.
Here you can see just how rugged this country is where the opal "grows". Getting into this country is difficult and can be treacherous as you have to haul your own water. The landscape is filled with rattle snakes, scorpions and other varmits not to be messed with. It's not something one would want to do without a knowledgable guide but, then, you wouldn't find it anyway. It elicits a great feeling of freedom to traverse into this beautiful country and I am grateful to the owners for taking me along. I had a great time in the Opal Fields!

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