Poland in photo riddles - part 3

Me too, I didn't even know there were opals in Poland! lol
They were mined, but not anymore - the mine was closed in the 80's or 90's, I think. Now that mine and that area is a tourist attraction for geology enthusiasts, because it's a pretty rare place in Europe apparently (that area has 81 types of minerals).


I don't, that's not my footage :)

There is still a semi-precious stones industry around Skarska Poręba as I recall.

Is there anything like Blue John in Poland? That one is my favourite.

@jon357, I don't know, I'm not an expert on this stuff. 🤔 I only know that my region is apparently the only place on Earth where striped flint can be found:

enchanting-earth.com/collections/polish-flint

I wouldn't mind a trip there :)


I like the rings in your link although most of them are sold out. Guess Polish flint's quite popular.


It's a lovely colour. I saw a couple of Blue John pendants in an Edinburgh gem and jewellery shop. It's only found somewhere in Derbyshire if I remember rightly.

I wouldn't mind either :) There are also geological workshops during which you can find minerals for yourself under the supervision of an educator :):

geopasja389390672.wordpress.com/wyprawy-geoturystyczne-i-warsztaty-geologiczne/


There are Polish sites with available jewelry made of striped flint.

I was on a guided tour of the flint mines in Paulina's region. It was interesting and very worth a visit.


Round Castleton however I think there are a few places around the world with it, certainly a mine in Pakistan and a very similar mineral in Iran. There are 4 or five caverns in Castleton that you can visit, a couple of them with Blue John. A big new seam has just been discovered. There's a museum too and a few shops selling it.

I'll be in Whitby and Scarborough in a fortnight and may buy two matching rings with a band of Jet in if the shops have some good ones and if the other party likes them. Not cheap but lovely (and cheaper and less obvious than gold bands!) You can sometimes pick pieces up on the beach like Amber in Poland.

• 
  IMG_1396.jpeg
  
• 
  IMG_1395.jpeg
  
• 
  IMG_1394.jpeg
  
• 
  IMG_1393.jpeg
  

Gagat in Polish.

There is some In Poland near Ostrów Świętokrzyskie which used to be mined commercially.

pl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gagat

Those look really interesting. I would definitely like to go on 3 or 4 of those! Plus, you get to keep the minerals! What's not to like :)


Cool. As with the tours in Paulina's link, I'm guessing the tours are all in Polish language though? Not sure how much I would follow when it comes to discussing minerals and rock formation. I'd be interested in visiting the Blue John cavern too. It's just up the road from Edale where I was planning to start a hike from, so guess I will be making a small diversion :)


Hope you find something nice.

Edale is lovely; the whole Hope Valley is a treat, even the view from the Sheffield-Manchester railway.

As I recall, a very famous and very long walk starts in Edale.


I think so, however it's mostly just walking through and looking at the exhibits in the mine. It's not like a coal mine (the one you can visit in Poland is excellent) where you have to stay in a close group for safety.

You rang, Sir?

It certainly does but that would require more free time than I currently have. Bet it would be an amazing walk though.


Ok, thanks for the info.