“My aim is to offer both old and new customers the best value in opal jewellery, loose opal and opal collectables”
Peter Blythe
Mineshaft was started by Peter Blythe in 1978. It is a business that operated a successful retail store in Canberra for 45 years …but that is only one chapter in the story of Peter’s involvement with opals in Australia.
In the sections below, read of Peter’s long involvement in opal mining and retailing and how he is now able to offer you an amazing collection of opal products with some at better than wholesale prices.
Peter Blythe’s mining career
Peter has had a passion for gemstones all his life. Both his grandfather and uncles were involved in mining and one of his uncles chased black opal at Lightning Ridge many years ago.
Most of the opal on this website has been mined and/or cut by Peter. He had many years of professional mining experience at Mintabie Opal Fields where he and his mining partners discovered several large pockets of opal. These pockets contained black opal, crystal opal and semi black opal. This was followed by several years mining boulder opal in the area North West of Quilpie in Queensland.
Peter has written extensively on his years of opal mining in the Peter’s Story section of the BLOG.
Mineshaft retail store in Canberra
Mineshaft was the major opal and opal jewellery source in Canberra.
Canberra is the location of most of the diplomatic embassies in Australia and Mineshaft built it’s reputation and business from this diverse market. Peter has considerable experience supplying a world wide clientele and in the new online shop he aims to continue to do this because he enjoys the diversity.
Mineshaft online
Without the overheads of a brick and mortar shop Peter is able to offer small parcels of opal and opal jewellery directly at wholesale prices.
If you can’t find it on our website contact Peter with your requirements and if he has what you are looking for he will sent you pictures.
Peter’s interests other then anything to do with opal and gemstones are fishing, fitness, rugby league (go you Canberra Raiders) and travel and in his semi-retirement he intends to enjoy all of these.
