The opal has been mined for centuries, at least since Roman times when they extracted the opal from areas now within the Czech Republic. Archeologists have found 6,000-year-old opal ornaments in African caves.

The Aztecs made use of local Mexican sources as did the Spaniards when they exported the material back to Europe. Although opals are found in Brazil, Indonesia, Canada, Ethiopia, Austria, Honduras, Mexico, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and Mojave, 90% of the world's gem-quality opals come from southern Australia and ALL black opals come from Australia.