Customer Reviews

Opals

5 star:		(5)
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The book gives a good overall insight into how opals are formed, types of opals, where they are mined, how they are mined and many stories surrounding opals and opal miners. It was informative and entertaining. Would have liked to have seen a little more information that would clue you into how to select and price black opals.

This slim little book taught me more about opals than rummaging around in the opal stores and book stores of Sydney ever did... Fred and Charlotte have managed to add lots of juicy information about opals - how they are made, history, cutting, what makes them special etc and present it in a very easy to read manner. A great book to give anyone an indepth knowledge of opals!

This is the most informative and fun to read book on opals ever published. As a collector and opal dealer, I highly recommend this book to learn about the opal history of Australia with lots of great stories!

I liked the description of the miners and their culture at Lighting Ridge. But if you want information on how to select and price an opal, especially a black opal, you need Paul Downing's Opal Identification & Value.

This book is a nice addition to my "opal" library. It is not too technical, more dealing with the history of opal mining and then explaining the different opal types, including synthetics, triplets, etc., in addition to the different kinds of solid opals. It is not a very large book, but it is packed with valuable information and gorgeous pictures. If you like opal, you won't be disappointed in purchasing this book. I enjoyed it very much. It may be the only book you will need on opals, unless you want technical detail.

I have been lucky to have obtained both newer and older source books on Opals. This book is good - perhaps very good. But it is lacking in some areas. It doesn't really come close to Allan W. Eckert's "The World of Opals." Nor does it compare with Paul B. Downing's book, "Opal Identification & Value." I think you can find these on Amazon and possibly you may even come across Wilfred C. Eyles' "The Book of Opals." This one is a bit older (last printing was somewhere around the mid-70s). Honestly, I'm not about to say, "thumbs down," to Mr. Ward's book. I't certainly has a lot of attractive pictures and decent information. Please do not let your opal library be without Mr. Ward's book. However, I do think an opal book collector would first want to find some of the other books I've mentioned.

All of Fred Ward's books are a perfect blend of history, geology, geography, gemology, socioeconomic issues and chemistry, highlighted by fabulous photography.

An easy read. Finished the book in a couple of hours. Covers all facets of the opal trade. Explains the different methods of manufacture. How to spot lab created specimens, doublets and triplets. This book gave me a true appreciation for opal and the delicacies in working with it. I will purchase further books from Mr Ward. If you want easy, informative reading on gemstones, Fred Ward should be your source.

Informative book of the history of Opal mining in Australia. A useful guide for classifications, purchasing and overview for a lay person. Easy reading, but not quite enough depth to satisfy that "thirst for knowledge".

Not a "how to" book for lapidarists, this is instead an excellent review of the many types of opals. The photos of the opal specimens are superb. The author has visited the mines for many of the familiar opal varieties - Coober Pedy, Andamooka, etc, and adds important human interest in describing the outback towns and their colorful residents.
I learned a great deal from the discussion of the formation of these fascinating gemstones. A must have for either the already addicted opal fancier, or those just curious about the stones they've longed for at jeweler's displays.