Personally I see this as a well veiled storefront. The exhibits are actually pretty decent, but clearly it exists so that you can buy opals at the end. It will take you 5 to 15 minutes to go through all of the exhibits depending on your interest level. I really can’t comment on the prices but they seemed fairly decent compared to my general knowledge on opals. The exhibit is completely free if you just want to walk through for a quick giggle.
Cece E.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Dublin, CA
Huge showroom downstairs. A jewelry store with«educational» extras from the Australian Museum. It’s really a pit stop to give the shoppers on the tour a chance to exercise their credit cards. For non-shoppers, 20 minutes is more than ample.
Kimberly C.
Rating des Ortes: 3 New Brunswick, NJ
Pretty interesting collection, especially if you’re into opals. They have gemstones and jewelry for every budget. Like Melissa M. said, they show you a video presentation that was very 70’s… You can even buy a giant opal if you have the dollars. The escalator was cool.
Marissa B.
Rating des Ortes: 5 Washington, DC
Beautiful exhibits here. I saw the Collection a few years back with a student group and was really impressed. Cameras are allowed, so you can take pictures of the displays you really like. The guide was very friendly, and eager to show us around and answer our questions. Since the opal is the national gem of Australia, I don’t see how you could dream of leaving Sydney without stopping through here!
Melissa M.
Rating des Ortes: 3 Sugar Land, TX
Centrally located, a few short blocks from Circular Quay, The National Opal Collection sounds like it should be a museum, but it’s just another opal store. If you go with a group as I did, they will show you a video about opals in Australia. There is an area with some history about opals, like a little museum. The presentation felt like it was from the 1970’s(you know… like those sex ed videos they show you in middle school and you see the guy in the bell bottoms?). After the short presentation(by a guy from Dallas), we went into the«showroom» which is the opal sales floor. I didn’t purchase anything as opals aren’t my favorite(even though they are my birth stone). Many of the people in my group purchased items, so I am glad they had an opportunity to ask questions and see lots of different opal types. Prices seemed high, but you are paying for their large showroom and great location.