Far above northern Ethiopia’s patchwork fields, villagers in Wollo have uncovered a rich, natural black opal deposit almost 9,800 feet above sea level. Before Stayish, researchers documented an Ethiopian black opal whose bodycolor came from manganese-rich minerals, underlining how rare dark material was. Reshaping the black opal marketCollectors once relied on Lightning Ridge in Australia for black opal, but Stayish material offers a growing second source with its own look. Stories about the gems highlight origin, describing Ethiopian black opal mined by hand from tunnels cut by villagers instead of from open pits. That black opal seam beneath Wollo now links tunnels, gem labs, and jewelry counters in ways few villagers imagined when they began digging.

Source: Ethiopian News December 28, 2025 19:42 UTC