Canada's first "commercial grade" precious opal deposit, the "Klinker Opal Deposit" was found near Vernon, BC on Thanksgiving Day in October 1991. The precious opal from this site was given the name "Okanagan Opal" by the prospectors who found the deposit.
This deposit has already attracted significant local and international attention through the publication of several articles written by opal expert Paul Downing, through a government paper published in 1997 and through numerous other newspaper/magazine articles.
The Klinker Opal deposit has been undergoing exploration and development since the summer of 1993. The size and full economic potential of the deposit is as yet undetermined however the development which has taken place over the past four years has indicated that this is a significant discovery; not just a "flash of color".
The precious opal occurrences are controlled by fracturing, stratigraphy and rock porosity and occur in mid-Miocene aged shallow dipping ash/lapilli tuff and matrix supported lahar volcanic rock sequences.
Canadian opal and diamond custom jewellery