We traveled to the town of Spencer, Idaho today. It’s a small mountain town, tucked in the hills.  There are only two mines but they are privately owned, and not open to the public.  But, there are several opal shops in Spencer.

Bob and Susan Thompson own the Opal Mountain Mine.  They are very knowledgeable and friendly and don’t hesitate to spend time with you explaining about how opal is made and how it is worked.  They showed us how they make triplets where a backing of black basalt is applied and a clear domesply is applied to the top to create a dazzling gem.
Their not for sale/ display only specimens are incredible and I delighted in finding some buckets of lesser quality rough to pick through that would make good specimens. We also saw gem quality trimmed rough in jars for those of us who like to try their luck at creating a gem or two.

Bob and Susan explained that some of their specimens are in the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC.  This one is the largest solid piece they have ever found.  It’s simply awesome. 

Here is a triplet that is surrounded by Montana (yellow) sapphires…

… and a huge triplet opal set in sterling….

… and this rarity.

You can visit Bob and Susan’s website at: http://www.idopalmine.com/  if you are ever in Idaho and passing through Spencer, look them up!

By the way, the mine business is for sale… so if you ever dreamed of having your own opal mine business and don’t mind working REAL hard, here’s your chance!