Welcome to the
Juniper Ridge Fire Opal Mine
in Southern Oregon

Juniper Ridge Featured: During the mining season of 2006, Juniper Ridge Mine was the site of filming for the Travel Channel's series Cash and Treasures!
About Fire Opal: Fire Opal is unlike any other opal. While most opals are renowned for the play of color and reflections from within, Fire Opal is named for its fiery colors, including yellows, oranges, and reds. It may or may not show an opalescent "play of color", but is valued mostly for its intense colors.

The best qualities of fire opal are very transparent. Most fire opal is cut in sparkling faceted stones, though you may also find it cut en-cabochon, in spheres, and in carvings. Here is a link to a variety of fire opal gems, most of which came from the Juniper Ridge Mine.
	Fire opal is becoming much more popular in jewelry due to its impressive range of bright intense colors. It is also very light in weight compared to other gems, so it is ideal for producing stunning larger earrings and pendants without burdening the lucky wearer.
Here is a link to a variety of finished fire opal jewelry, most of which came from the Juniper Ridge Opal Mine.

About the Juniper Ridge Mine:
The mine on Juniper Ridge has been worked off and on for over thirty years, but was never promoted very much. The claim lay dormant for a time until Ken Newnham and his son Chuck found it and placed it under claim again in 1998. Old maps of the location had been inaccurate, and it had taken them over two years, hiking many miles in the surrounding hills before they found the abandoned pit.
The mine partners, who are all lapidaries, worked the mine for a few years by hand with family and friends, and produced a collection of cabochons and spheres from the material. During 2002, they opened the mine to other collectors on a fee-dig basis. Since then, the popularity of the material has skyrocketed due to the incredible color, stability, and sizes of their material. It is not unusual to collect nodules of opal the size of a baseball, and this past summer, Ken retrieved a twelve-pound nodule. (photo below) You know you're doing it right when posing for the photo involves this much work! The Newnhams continue to work the mine and to make appointments for fee-digging at their serene and scenic retreat high in the mountains of South Eastern Oregon. Click here to learn more about fee-digging at the Juniper Ridge Opal Mine.