Columbia Gem House Introduces Calibrated Lightning Ridge Opals

By Victoria Gomelsky | January 15, 2025

Columbia Gem House in Vancouver, Wash., is known for offering a diverse and responsibly sourced selection of gems that includes everything from agate to zircon—with one conspicuous exception.

“We really have not been a primary opal producer and cutter,” founder and president Eric Braunwart tells JCK. “It’s something we just never got into.”

Until now. At the upcoming American Gem Trade Association GemFair in Tucson, due to open Feb. 3 at the Tucson Convention Center, the supplier will introduce calibrated opals from Australia’s legendary Lightning Ridge deposit thanks to an exclusive collaboration with Cheal Opal, a family-run business featured on the Discovery Channel’s Outback Opal Hunters.

The Cheals approached Braunwart about a year ago, he says. At first, he was dubious about the reality TV connection. “I’d watched a couple of those gold-mining shows—it’s drama, not real production,” he says. “But they had set up their own production company and they don’t follow a script.”

Over the past year, Columbia Gem House has been working on cutting and preparing the opals for mass manufactures as well as retailers and designers in search of calibrated goods. The gems are generally priced from $75 to $400 per carat, Braunwart says. Sizes in standard oval-shape cabs start around 1.5 mm and go up to 16 mm by 12 mm. “We’re also doing some elongated ovals, cushion cuts and pears, and rounds, all calibrated,” he says.

Braunwart says he was motivated to add the opals to the Columbia Gem House assortment because the company is committed to educating buyers on the history, cutting, and production of its gems, and the Discovery episodes do just that. He also is excited by the prospect of introducing calibrated Lightning Ridge black opals.

“If I had to pick the top sellers in the United States, ruby, sapphire, and emerald would be in there, but opal might be my next pick,” Braunwart says. “I think it’s a pretty big market and not really well served in what we’re talking about, which is calibrated opal for production.”

“The calibrated black opal is really nice,” he adds. “It’s not all black opal. Quite a lot is crystal green opal and a material I’ve never seen before that we’re calling ‘ghost opal’—it has this ethereal purple blue with a moonstone-type sheen. It comes in crystal pieces but also black. The crystal opal in greens and multicolors are popular and I think they’ll sell quite well. And the calibrated blacks down to 2 mm to 3 mm are quite stunning.”

Top: Cheal Opal rough, now being cut by Columbia Gem House