About Deep South Opal

Two guys who appreciate pretty rocks

We’re Ollie Reading and Sam Mitchell, two guys in Hobart who can spend an unreasonable amount of time looking at a stone. A patch of green appears, a blue edge catches the light, and suddenly we’re turning it over for another look. Deep South Opal began with the wish to share that small, irresistible pleasure.

We bring together Australian opal and gemstones as jewellery, loose stones, rough opal and specimens. Some belong against the skin; others settle onto a shelf and quietly become the thing you pick up whenever you pass. We like that beauty can find its way into an ordinary day.

A place to begin collecting

You don’t need a cabinet full of specimens or the vocabulary of a gemmologist to begin. Your first stone might be small, oddly shaped or threaded with a colour you can’t quite name. What matters is that something about it stays with you.

Our collection makes room for a first opal, a thoughtful gift and a more unusual find. We’ll help you understand what you’re seeing, without taking away the pleasure of simply being captivated by it.

Clear details about every piece

The presentation can be romantic; the description should be plain. We aim to explain the material, construction and any known treatments, alongside what we know about a piece’s origin. If a detail is uncertain, we’ll say so. You should be able to admire the stone and understand what you’re choosing.

We select finished jewellery as well as loose stones and specimens. As our own making and setting develops, we’ll distinguish our work from pieces sourced from other makers. Tasmania is our home, not a claim that every stone was found here.

Inspired by Tasmania & natural history

Hobart gives the collection its setting: mountain ridgelines, salt air and light that changes by the hour. Those southern landscapes find their way into our botanical illustrations, our colours and the space we leave around an object.

We take inspiration from natural-history books and museum cabinets, where a humble fragment can hold a whole world of interest. The thoughtful lettering and quiet ornament are part of that affection. At the centre of it all are the stones—and the hope that one of them will mean something to you.