What does it mean to be a part of the Aurora family ?
We are here to help each other and to help others experience the wonders of Black Opal.
Fundamentally our love of opal can be realized from the moment you speak to any of us and if you are not already an opal enthusiast it won’t be too long before we have you in awe of this remarkable gem.
Both Daniel and Michelle grew up on the dusty mining fields of Lightning Ridge and loved each and every minute of it.
Their passion for opal is simply in their blood. The intrinsic knowledge that is second nature comes from growing up immersed in all that is opal. Taking every opportunity to join their parents in searching for the gem, from fossicking while waiting for the school bus and relishing each rain fall to learning what makes one opal more valuable than another. It was these humble beginnings that nurtured their young minds and souls and their love for opal only grew stronger as the years went on.
Today Daniel and Michelle are quite the complimentary team, Daniel does the mining while Michelle cuts and sells the opal all around the world.
Keiko started her career in the jewellery and gemstone trade as a university graduate in Tokyo.
Through the trade she met many suppliers from overseas and her desire to see the world was achieved when she accepted a job in Sydney.
She was immediately immersed in the opal trade with regular trips to Lightning Ridge to source the unique, pleasing Australian national gemstone which she fell in love with.
She travelled all around Australia and abroad to Japan on a regular basis to deal with wholesalers, manufacturers and jewellers as well as to Hong Kong and Thailand to attend international jewellery shows.
Keiko has enjoyed designing jewellery featuring beautiful Australian opal which has been distributed all over the world.
She is excited to continue the journey with Aurora Opals and looks forward to embracing new business opportunites.
Maria has been working with the Aurora family for over 35 years. Maria is based in our Sydney office and we are excited to have her on our team.
Roma has worked with our family for the past 30 years, she has been a significant asset to our company and a pleasure to have as part of our family. Roma is based in Hong Kong and has overseen our operations in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.
Eric Saul is a second generation gemstone dealer, born and raised in Kenya. Eric's father John Saul was a world famous geologist who discovered the John Saul Ruby deposit in Kenya, he was the first geologist on the Tanzanite deposit in 1967 and introduced the stone to Tiffany's and he is also a founding member of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA).
The family has mined a wide variety of gems in East Africa and has operated their own offices from Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. Eric's brother Mark has been the head of the East African operations for almost 30 years.
Eric is based in Paris where he runs an office and is in charge of the European clientele: dealers, workshops and International brands.
He is a certified gemmologist and has extended his passion for quality gemstones to Lightning Ridge opals and has been hapily working together with Daniel and Michelle for some years now.
Eric is the sole representative for Aurora Opals in the European market.