Q&A

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04400500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Swordfish Mining:   Virgin Valley Opal</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Swordfish Mining: Virgin Valley Opal"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="black_precious_opal.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BLACK OPALS">BLACK OPALS</A>   |   <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="DOMES">DOMES</A>   |   <A HREF="virgin_valley_precious_opal_mining_claims_from_the_miners_for_sale.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CLAIMS">CLAIMS</A>   |   <A HREF="opal_from_nevada.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PRECIOUS OPAL">PRECIOUS OPAL</A>   |   <A HREF="what_we_do.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="WIRE WRAPS, BEADS, JEWELRY">WIRE WRAPS, BEADS, & JEWELRY</A>   |   <A HREF="cut_stonestops_gemstones_cut_for_years__these_stones_have_all_been_displayed_in_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="GEMSTONES">GEMSTONES</A>   |   <A HREF="opal_twigs.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LIMB CASTS">LIMB CASTS</A>   |   <A HREF="virgin_valley_wood_replacements.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="PINE CONES BARK">PINE CONES & BARK</A>   |   <A HREF="precious_opal_snake_head_cast.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="THE SNAKE HEAD">THE SNAKE HEAD</A>   |   <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="GOODS">GOODS</A>   |   <A HREF="zincite_and_vulgarities.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="MINERALS">MINERALS</A>   |   <A HREF="quartz_and_other_mineral_crystals_for_sale.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CRYSTALS">CRYSTALS</A>   |   <A HREF="leah_and_john.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ABOUT US">ABOUT US</A>   |   <A HREF="picture_album.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SWORDFISH PICS">SWORDFISH PICS</A>   |   <A HREF="the_sheldon.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="CHARLES SHELDON NWR">CHARLES SHELDON NWR</A>   |   <A HREF="numbers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us">Contact Us</A>   |   <A HREF="map_to_virgin_valley_fee_digs.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Location">Location</A>   |   <B>Q&A</B>   |   <A HREF="links_to_friendly_web_pages.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LINKS">LINKS</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="045d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <IMG SRC="278b97b0.jpg" border=0 width="185" height="123" ALT="Petroglyphs by Adel" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The petroglyph rock by Adel</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Q&A</div> <bR> <div> The advertising spammers thought nothing of ruining our guest book.  I'm answering e-mail subjects here. If you have a question that's not already answered, want to stroke my fur, or even kick me this is the place: USE AN OPAL RELATED SUBJECT   usopal at lycos.com       you will get a reply.</div> <bR> <div>      You may hire me for personal training to help you learn how to mine or as a consulting lay geologist/engineer. 300$ a day + expenses such as entry fees to the chosen fee dig. You keep all the opals we find. These days need to be pre-booked to be sure of getting me. I don't do tailings digging for fee: </div> <div> I don't feel the typical days haul rates my fee. For me to do a Rainbow Ridge bucket by myself (and helper)  will be $800 total which includes it being washed, semi sorted to bright, some color, potch and everything glassy. The common woods usually are not many more pounds if any. If I find cones they will go into separate baggies. Everything not dirt or rocks is sent over to you. There is no promise what I will receive to look through. I don't steal, so you will get all that's interesting. I really can be happy with just watching it go by.</div> <bR> <div>      A day at the Peacock will be $450. I can't guarantee you anything as it is pure luck of the bank and usually the hottest hole is occupied to both sides by several people. If you have any WOO WOO lucky methods etc. tell me before I just call for the first load available or go. I can't really pick a "good" day over a "bad" day. I won't embarrass myself dowsing in public because regardless of other things, you aren't given something every day. THIS IS A PURE CRAP SHOOT.  I promise I'm honest, will work hard, do this better than most, and send you everything. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> 1.  When do the public digs open?</div> <bR> <div>      The fee digs are all independent. Their links are posted here; next page.</div> <div> The Peacock is the first to open and the last to close. Cash & Treasure filmed there the first year that caused the ongoing boom with major visitor increases. That series was where the owners and diggers talked directly to you, no hosts. The Bonanza opened next and the Opal Queen is still private.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> 2. When is the best time of year to come dig? </div> <bR> <div>      The fee digs open late spring and close early fall. I would come earlier instead of later because it is usually cooler with less bugs. There are mosquitoes, no-seeums, horse flies, and deer flies. Summer hot is the 90s.</div> <div> Spring and fall can be below zero and blizzards. Usually it is pleasant with shirt sleeve evenings.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> 3. "hi!  I have a large Opalized limb segment that I found at rainbow ridge last year. i was hoping you guys might have some advise on how to sell/trade for it. i thought it would be a good idea to find out how much it is worth but it seems that there is nobody out there who will appraise raw opal. i have a few pics i can send if you are interested. thanks." </div> <bR> <div>      This is a message similar to ones I get. I'm not here to introduce you to my customers. You have to go find those on your own. The price I would probably offer you out of brokeness would insult me. Nothing personal, but that's the gemstone business. I've bought a collection once, but not for anything near wholesale, let alone resale value. No money to the miner and the biggest profit all at once in the final sale is how the jewelry world works.</div> <div> The opal I prefer to sell I mined myself and know it's origin.</div> <bR> <div>     One just can't snap their fingers (find an opal) and get into a viable empire of established mines and jewelers who want to be the soul source of those gems. I don't professionally appraise raw opals. Few people do and I'm not familiar with them. That is for the gemstones it has been made into after they are such. The normal fee is 10% of the value because the appraisal is very valuable legal descriptive information as to what you have that you had no idea about before. </div> <bR> <div>      You have to learn their value yourself by comparing it to all the opals we have priced for sale both above and below yours. The appraisers can pigeon hole finished stones as their value can be computed from charts available pricing all gemstones from measurements. Opal is the hardest stone to accurately value because those qualities that make opal special are above just numbers, the old truth and beauty thing. Here's the chart number, then with the experianced eye, is it worth more or less than that.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> 4. While I can see some of the opal is very beuatiful- even by Australian </div> <div> standards how can you sell it for such high prices when you can't even use it in jewery? The only way you can display it is by keeping it water, otherwise it </div> <div> will fall apart and become worthless. I never understood this.</div> <bR> <div>      Most of our opal is VERY beautiful and cast in interesting shapes that      </div> <div> are lost when you cut stones. The small pieces ARE made into jewelry if they are gem grade. See the jewelry pages and Virgin Valley Jeweler Links for dry cut and set American opals.  Like butterflies and flowers, beauty is usually fleeting and can't be possessed indefinitely without nurturing. By keeping raw stones in water they never dry out to POSSIBLY crack or worse craze. A lot of stones ARE stable. You just have to lose 90% to see what you get to start with. Hence the price is higher for rarer rough. Demand is there.</div> <bR> <div>       Miners and Rockhounds visiting here all wear them, seek to buy more from the local shops, or show off and look at huge (ounces to over pounds) bright gemstones that probably won't dry out to be the biggest stable opals found anywhere (including all Australian and  Mexico) . Whether you sell your opals or not is usually the price asked.  If you ask only a quarter of what it's worth it will sell quicker. Once priced you will see it's competition at value. At that point welcome to haggling and the business of huge discounts when there are huge mark ups. Discounts for cash and other deals I've seen.I</div> <bR> <bR> <div> 5. Do you have any conk in silver pieces for sale? </div> <bR> <div>      As I slowly get my act together I will list more items in Jewellery. A lot of conk needs hardness treated so those are less and usually sold fast. Please don't make special requests. I am not a custom jewelry. I'm unable to do squat at present and when I actually get set up then stuff will start coming again. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> 6. Why the name Swordfish?</div> <bR> <div>      It was a password to a speakeasy in a Marx Brothers movie. It got the armored doors' peep slot to open, but there was no guarantee the door was going to open when they saw who you were. The opal mines are capricious and many a miner pray to spirits and opal gods hoping that will help. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> 7.  What is the cost to dig, motels nearby, equipment?</div> <bR> <div>       Please see the fee dig mines website's for the current costs. Digging rates start at $45 (some child discounts available) to $500 for a big front loader scoop. All these run from 8am to 4pm unless told otherwise.The Royal Peacock Mine has a recreational vehicle park and camp sites. Most people camp in the refuge campground at the showerhouse. The closet motel is Denio Jct, NV (28 miles, around 80 a night and full a lot), then Fields Motel (55 smaller), then the many Lakeveiw motels (85 services), and last but the least expensive rooms are in the biggest town around; Winnemucca, NV (120 miles). That includes hardware stores, a Wal-mart, and various good resturants. This is also the closest Red Light district. </div> <bR> <div> 8. Why do you host threads on My space, The Travel Channel Wiki on Americas best places to find cash and treasures, edit on Wikipedia articles, post to Opal Pics for Opal lovers in EBAY forums, follow the Opal Chat forum and Bobs Rock Shop for related posts, when you can't get on line much?  </div> <bR> <div> Used to be able to get on easier and will have broadband in the new house. I have to answer questions and spread information to increase my business. Also to watch for bad information on our opal from others less experienced. Guess I'm a teacher at heart. </div> </td> </tr></table></body>