Opal Minded: A World of Wonder Filled With the Finest Australian Opals

December 11, 2020

By Katerina Perez

8 min read

The Australian jeweller Opal Minded couldn’t be more appropriately named. Its showroom in the historic The Rocks neighbourhood of Sydney is filled with an incredible array of exquisite opals in all shapes and sizes, set into jewels designed by Dr Renata Bernard, Creative Director and opal devotee. The gems themselves are mined by her husband, John, and his brother, Ron, in the opal fields of Jundah in the South-West of Queensland. Opal Minded is very much a family affair.

The Bernard family have had opals on their minds ever since John’s father, called John (Bernard) Benny, jumped a British Merchant Navy ship in Fremantle and set out for the Australian desert. An intrepid explorer, he stumbled upon opals in Coober Pedy while acting as a guide to a travelling filmmaker. Lured there by the possibility of discovering gold, nickel or other metals beneath the fiercely hot sun, he instead unearthed opals, sparking a life-long obsession with these rainbow gems. Determined that opals would be his destiny from now on, he moved his family to the dugouts of Coober Pedy before relocating them to the opal fields of Queensland.

Opal Minded Blue Symphony pendant, set with an elegant royal boulder opal, strung from a pearl necklace

Opal Minded Blue Symphony pendant, set with an elegant royal boulder opal, strung from a pearl necklace

 The opal was sourced from Opal Minded's own opal mines in Jundah

The opal was sourced from Opal Minded's own opal mines in Jundah

 A sketch of the Blue Symphony pendant

A sketch of the Blue Symphony pendant

 Opal Minded Blue Symphony earrings, set with 14.30 carats of royal boulder opals and diamonds in 18 carat yellow gold

Opal Minded Blue Symphony earrings, set with 14.30 carats of royal boulder opals and diamonds in 18 carat yellow gold

 The Blue Symphony ring - the third jewel in the suite

The Blue Symphony ring - the third jewel in the suite

With a similarly obsessive nature inherited from his father, today John oversees the running of Opal Minded’s remote, artisanal, open pit mine in Jundah-Opalville. Conditions are harsh – it is impossible to procure basic supplies quickly and life is largely lived off the grid, with only sun-heated water in which to bathe – and with temperatures permanently hovering around scorching and the high risk of monsoon floods, the opal mining season is necessarily short – at the most six months of the year. But John wouldn’t have it any other way. He and his brother live for mining opals and those rare occasions when they break open a piece of boulder rock to discover precious pockets of shimmering opal hidden inside. Working with just two bulldozers, one excavator, one loader and a drill, it’s a tough job, but one that is handsomely rewarded every time they catch a glimpse of rainbow gemstone.

The Love in White ring features a precious 27.56 carat Boulder opal mined by Opal Minded in Jundah

The Love in White ring features a precious 27.56 carat Boulder opal mined by Opal Minded in Jundah

 The Love in White pendant and ring were designed by Renata Bernard to represent pure love

The Love in White pendant and ring were designed by Renata Bernard to represent pure love

When the rough material has been transported back to camp, it is then approximately shaped, after which Opal Minded’s master-cutters can begin the nuanced, highly skilled task of fashioning the opal rough into gems. I asked Renata, who will soon be designing with these polished gems, how an artisan goes about shaping an opal. “It’s about finding the best brightness and excitement in the colour,” she explains. “That quality is sacrosanct in opals. It is always about chasing the best play of colour, a characteristic unique to opals.”

Opal Minded's Newton's Attraction pendant, set with an outstanding Boulder opal

Opal Minded's Newton's Attraction pendant, set with an outstanding Boulder opal

 The 9.12 carat Boulder opal is suspended in 18 carat yellow gold, accentuated with diamond accents

The 9.12 carat Boulder opal is suspended in 18 carat yellow gold, accentuated with diamond accents

 The Newton's Attraction ring features a stunning 5.37 carat opal with a fascinating play of colour within

The Newton's Attraction ring features a stunning 5.37 carat opal with a fascinating play of colour within

As an entirely family run operation, John and Renata oversee every stage in the jewellery-making process, from the initial extraction of the opals from the earth to their shaping and polishing and, finally, setting in their Sydney atelier. There are three fundamental reasons why the couple have chosen to keep complete control over all aspects of their business. There is John’s love of opal mining, of course, but another important factor is that it allows the Bernard family to have complete control over the quality of what they create, and the freedom to choose which opals to keep from one of the most prolific opal mines in Australia. The Jundah-Opalville region of Queensland is famous for producing every type of opal ever discovered in Australia, including light opals, black opals, boulder opals and the unforgettable ‘Jundah-blue’ pipe opals that are unique to this region, of a quality found nowhere else in the world. That is why Jundah opals are regarded as among the best and most brilliantly coloured on the market.

Opal Minded's spectacular Black Queen ring, set with an incomparable black opal discovered in Lightning Ridge

Opal Minded's spectacular Black Queen ring, set with an incomparable black opal discovered in Lightning Ridge

Of course, a polished opal, however mesmerising it may be, must first be set into a jewel before its beauty can be fully appreciated, which brings us on to the other reason why Opal Minded has chosen to keep everything in-house. It enables John, Renata and their team to have total creative control over their decisions, including which part of the mine to pursue, how the gems will be cut and polished and which design will best enhance an opal, which is Renata’s main focus. What guides her designs, I asked? She admits that inspiration can be a fickle creature. “Sometimes she refuses to appear for hoursdays if not weeks, sometimes it come unexpectedly like a scene from a Marcel Proust’s novel,” she laughs. “But it really comes down to two important factors: the beauty of the gemstone and the vision of the happiness it will bring to its wearer. That’s what drives me.”

Serpent Azure Boulder opal choker by Opal Minded, inspired by coral reefs and creatures of the night

Serpent Azure Boulder opal choker by Opal Minded, inspired by coral reefs and creatures of the night

 Opal Minded's Sea Meets the River ring showcases a luscious black opal from Lightning Ridge

Opal Minded's Sea Meets the River ring showcases a luscious black opal from Lightning Ridge

 Opal Minded's Boulder opal Reef Cocoon ring celebrates the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef

Opal Minded's Boulder opal Reef Cocoon ring celebrates the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef

 These E=MC2 earrings by Opal Minded are set with two exquisite geometric Boulder opals

These E=MC2 earrings by Opal Minded are set with two exquisite geometric Boulder opals

 The Contrarian black opal ring by Opal Minded features an unusual marriage of colour palettes

The Contrarian black opal ring by Opal Minded features an unusual marriage of colour palettes

 Opal Minded's Othello ring is set with an enthralling 5.48 carat black opal

Opal Minded's Othello ring is set with an enthralling 5.48 carat black opal

Looking into an opal often feels like you are peering into a fantasy world or gazing at an abstract painting comprised of shimmering patterns and glittering neon streaks. Opals from Jundah-Opalville possess all the colours of the rainbow – what is it like working with such visually complicated gems? “Focusing on just one gem is a balancing act,” says Renata, the challenge being to enrich and enhance these iridescent spectacles whilst being careful to avoid the sensory overload that can often occur with opals. “I absolutely love the challenge,” she continues. “I live for that ‘aha’ moment when I finish a piece.”

Opal Minded Ta Prohm earrings, set with two magical Boulder opals

Opal Minded Ta Prohm earrings, set with two magical Boulder opals

 Opal Minded Ta Prohm Boulder opal pendant

Opal Minded Ta Prohm Boulder opal pendant

 Opal Minded Ta Prohm Boulder opal ring. The suite celebrates ancient wisdom and marvellous creativity

Opal Minded Ta Prohm Boulder opal ring. The suite celebrates ancient wisdom and marvellous creativity

With so many different varieties of opal available at Opal Minded, I know I would find it very difficult to choose a favourite. Renata’s advice when shopping for an opal jewel is to follow your heart. “We can quantify an opal’s body-tone, determine the rarity of its hues and colour pattern, and assess its clarity or cut, yet opals are much more than the sum of these parts,” she says. “The only important factor is whether you are captivated to the point of falling in love. The right opal will choose you – like a charming puppy!”

Dr Renata Bernard, Creative Director of Opal Minded

Dr Renata Bernard, Creative Director of Opal Minded

 Opal Minded Studio’s stylish showroom situated in Sydney’s prestigious The Dymocks Building

Opal Minded Studio’s stylish showroom situated in Sydney’s prestigious The Dymocks Building

 Established in 1989, the Opal Minded boutique is filled with an incredible array of exquisite opals in all shapes and sizes

Established in 1989, the Opal Minded boutique is filled with an incredible array of exquisite opals in all shapes and sizes

 Spend an hour or two in the Opal Minded boutique and you will have a newfound appreciation for this most intriguing of gems

Spend an hour or two in the Opal Minded boutique and you will have a newfound appreciation for this most intriguing of gems

Asked about the most spectacular opal discovered at the Opal Minded mine, Renata doesn’t hesitate. “It was a 2,700 carat ‘Galaxy’ boulder opal discovered in 1989, before we bought the mine. It is the most spectacular fine boulder opal with the most amazing rainbow colour play. I last held it in 2005,” she recalls. With a value close to $2 million dollars, the thought that there must be other opal treasures hidden beneath the ground, waiting for John to find them, must be a tantalising prospect. “The more opal gems I handle, the more I understand how remarkable ‘Galaxy’ is,” continues Renata. “I am still expecting one day for John to call me from Jundah and tell me that he has found the sister of ‘Galaxy’.”

Opal Minded’s remote, artisanal, open pit mine in Jundah

Opal Minded’s remote, artisanal, open pit mine in Jundah

 John Bernard and his brother Ron work with just two bulldozers, one excavator, one loader and a drill

John Bernard and his brother Ron work with just two bulldozers, one excavator, one loader and a drill

 Temperatures are permanently hovering around scorching at the Opal Minded mine

Temperatures are permanently hovering around scorching at the Opal Minded mine

 Precious glints of opal within the Boulder stone

Precious glints of opal within the Boulder stone

 The rough material being approximately shaped back at camp

The rough material being approximately shaped back at camp

 The rough opals are transported back to Opal Minded's Sydney atelier, where all its jewels are crafted

The rough opals are transported back to Opal Minded's Sydney atelier, where all its jewels are crafted

When this moment comes, the world will quickly know about it. In the meantime, if you are keen to discover Opal Minded’s outstanding gems for yourself, I can highly recommend spending an afternoon among the many unfathomably beautiful opals at the Sydney boutique, each of which is sold with a certificate of authenticity. Spend an hour or two in their company and I promise that you will have a newfound appreciation for this most intriguing of gems.

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