Hello, my name is Casey Sessions. As of the making of this website in 2020 I am 32 years old. I started this journey on May 17th, 2017. Thank you for your curiosity, in finding me or crossing my path. My business Unique World Wide Opals, LLC is a natural part of my journey now to grow a skillset and network that was inspired by my first trip to mine opals at the Virgin Valley, Nevada (Pictured above).
On May 17th 2017, I was visiting a longtime friend who was the first self proclaimed rockhound I had ever met. In fact, that day was the first time I had ever heard the word “rockhound” and that was also when I witnessed precious opal for the very first time. My friend was watering his rock garden in the sunshine, happily looking at his beautiful stones of all sorts. Reminiscing over trips with good friends.
I was fascinated with his rock garden and the nature of collecting rocks and minerals. He asked me if I had ever seen opal, to which I said “yes I have”, and then he asked “have you ever seen opal with the fire in it”? I replied “I don’t know what you mean”.
He then showed me something that left me at a loss for words. I was looking at a fragment of a Virgin Valley black crystal opal limbcast.. (hyperlink goes to a video of the opal on my YouTube channel).. an opalized cast of a tree branch some 15 million years old with a fabulous full spectrum disco ball of color. At that moment I couldn’t describe what my eyes were seeing, nor could I believe such a wondrous creation could come from the Earth. All I could think to say was “What am I looking at?!” then “This is made in the dirt?!”
The rest is history. In hindsight, I had no chance…. No chance to resist, after having witnessed amongst the best quality opal in the world - the first time I had ever seen an opal. I was inspired to research how I could go out to the Virgin Valley myself and go mining for a treasure like I had seen.
That months-long (about 5 months) painstaking process of saving up every bit of extra money, humbly eating out of a crockpot for 3 meals a day, (so, so many beans..) skipping going out to eat or spend extra, researching meticulously the geology and mining methods of where I was about to go…it was if I was back in college studying for an exam.. I saved up money for up to three days of expenses to go to an opal mine, the Royal Peacock. I stockpiled food supplies, fuel, my own tools, camping gear and even bought a new set of tires for my car the morning I left town to drive to the Virgin Valley. I paid my month’s bills early so I knew I would have absolutely no surprise expenses, pulled all but the last $45 out of my bank account, and hit the road.
I was on an inspired journey. I had put so much effort into this preparation - into this first opal mining trip in October 2017 - that I could feel in my bones that the cosmos was brewing something good for me to experience. Something I would never forget. I knew I had a tank worth of gas money left in the bank if I went out to the Nevada desert. I had given it everything at that point and felt if I dug like a maniac for two or three days, I could at the very least work myself to a cathartic exhaustion that no amount of research on a computer could deliver. If I dug hard enough, as hard as I had sacrificed for - to be there - then I could be content in not finding any opals… I just felt such complete dedication in all of this that I knew I was going to find something good.
And I did! I found a black opal limbcast at the Royal Peacock on my second day of digging, around 9AM. It was a midnight black opal with a honeycomb pattern of full spectrum colors. It scintillated like a disco ball, with hexagon-like cells of color that ripple across the surface. It turned out that I was right, that if I give something my everything - then good things can happen and my efforts be rewarded.
I made companions and friends along the way on this journey. Once I had the opal, I wanted more. I also wanted to cut it - to make something with it. Such a notion as cutting Virgin Valley opals - to my ignorance at the time - was equally as crazy an idea as what I had just pulled off. But, I had found my first opal cutting mentor only a few weeks after returning home from my mining trip. A wildcat of a man (one must be a wildcat to be cutting Virgin Valley opals). I met him at a regional gemshow following a 3.5 hour breadcrumb trail of names I had been given, after asking every club member there, “What do you know about Virgin Valley opal? Who do you know who can cut Virgin Valley opal?”.
That first mentor taught me how to cut Virgin Valley opals. From that day he invited me to his workplace, I knew I wanted to be an opal cutter, and opal miner, an artist and to keep growing on what was only just the beginning of this amazing journey.
- LOOKING BACK -
Two years later I filed my business at the age of 30, in 2019. I have had many special mentors along the way and made many special friends, if you are one of them, thank you. Since then I joined a community through the local Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro, Oregon. Through the Museum I joined and am now on the Board of Directors of the Tualatin Valley Gem & Rock Club, in Forest Grove, OR. I have now learned how to cut and process most of the types of opals of the world, whether it be sedimentary opals or volcanic opals.
I am an Opal Lapidary now & have learned a lot about mining opals too. I consider myself an Opal Miner. The opals I mine are in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The mine owners have been generous by letting the public be on their claims. I have learned how to silversmith from a man I found to be on a similar journey as mine. His name is Eric Davidson, who I am so very grateful for his mentorship and friendship. I recommend you check his FB out (linked in his name). I spent weeks with Eric learning from him in late 2019 and in mid December had a final stint with him where learned enough to finish my 8.4oz sterling silver cuff, with 60ct of Aussie white crystal opals. I took it home and finished it on my own in January 2020. Right before the world changed dramatically due to the Pandemic. Since January and during this Pandemic, these new skills have been financially crucial - allowing me to pull rabbits out of hats during the lockdowns and put together rent money with these skills serving as a weekend job. For many months during the lockdowns and resultant economic downturn these skills have been the difference that has kept a roof over my head. These downturns aren’t all over yet either; I absolutely appreciate everyone’s help that lets me continue to thrive!
By late 2019, my networking efforts through locals began resulting in talking to more people from around the world. People doing things related to minerals and metals. I got to know influential people like Gail Spann, at the time the President of the Rice Museum in Hillsboro, OR.
This networking in late 2019, before the current 2020 Pandemic, led me to grow many friendships. One of the most recent developments for me and my business and a friendship I’m proud to have, is with Jaymin Sullivan and the Young Guns Mining Crew, who are Australian Opal Miners on the Discovery Channel’s Outback Opal Hunters TV show.
I’m proud to now say as of November 2020, a partnership of sorts with the Young Guns has formed. You will start to see some projects we are working on together, being sold here and at my various online stores!
Together these wonderful experiences and people have helped me grow a skillset and a passion for opal that gives me immense satisfaction in what I can do with my hands and my mind. I have a background in biochemistry that I am also utilizing to great effect throughout my journey in exploring everything there is to know about opals - and how to craft and make art with them.
This has been the overarching story of this journey so far. To see my social media presence and where to find my content, look at my page “Find on Social Media”. Currently in November 2020 as I write this, I’m in my second year of business and 4th year of this journey. Now that I am self employed as of a few months ago, I’m fully engrossed in this journey and towards hopeful success. Right now is when I have finally been able to fully commit to this next part of the journey.
Please help this be possible. Please invest with me, in this future.. in any form, at any of my websites or social medias. I appreciate you for reading about this nascent journey, please be a part of it!
Thank you,
Casey Sessions
Final Comments - Community Growth & Outlook -
I am active on Facebook and help with the Pacific Northwest Opal Lovers, Freaks & Miners page with its owner Tommy Graham, and fellow friend Dustin Chaney.
Among my outlook regarding opals is to also eventually create a better understanding and appreciation for volcanic opals, as well as create communities based around opals. The Pacific Northwest (PNW) and all its volcanism is an opal wonderland full of secrets both Man and Earth are very reluctant to share.
I work with great people in the PNW who also have a passion for opal, who are also studying about it from their various perspective backgrounds, whether it be from a background in mining, geology, lapidary or smithing. I want to work on projects with these local individuals that advance the knowledge and appeal for PNW Opals and Volcanic Opals in general.
I look forward to working with the community. Helping me also helps them. I very much want to elevate the PNW Opal community’s efforts as I become more capable of doing these people justice. I want to invest in them and help them chase their passions for opal too - and to eventually help others create business with opal.
Last, I aspire to travel the world and shake the many people’s hands who I have come to know. Friends and partners alike and hope to be able to elevate them one day.
I want to celebrate opals in all forms, from locales all around the world. Thank you for your time! -Casey
