Authors Rada Babic (left) and Jerry Lomax with Maxine O’Brien of the LRMA.

OVER 40 miners attended an Opal Valuation Workshop at the weekend to test a pricing system developed by local opal traders.
Jerry Lomax and Rada Babic have put 40 years  experience as opal buyers into a book developed  “to help miners value, and get better value for their stones,” Mr Babic said.
The book came after he surveyed 45 miners, runners, traders, pricing committees and noodlers asking them to value a set of stones.
 The prices on one stone ranged from $60 to $3500 a carat - and even the top price was about one-third what he would ask for it, Mr Babic said.
He decided miners did not have the confidence to ask the price stones were worth.
“The book gives the basis on which to make a value judgement, he said.”
The system scores opals for colour, brilliance and pattern,  with the final score converted into a price per carat.
Mr Lomax said his valuation was based on looking down at a stone - the same way it would be viewed when set.
“I’m looking for bright, sharp, kicky stones,” he said
“What’s important is vividness - that is set off by the black - but it is the colour, brilliance, pattern and feel of the stone.”
The LRMA will hold more workshops in 2004 while the book is available from the LRMA at $8 for members and $12 for non-members.