Long before diamonds became accepted as a precious stone, opals have always held a special place in people's affections.

The best opal in the world can be found in Australia, from outback locations such as Lightning Ridge NSW and Coober Pedy SA.

Here's a chance for you to win a pair of Australian opal cabochons, valued at $600, while having fun at the same time.

Win a Free Pair of Opal Cabochons! Help the finders of the Virgin Rainbow Opal and you could win a $600 value pair of Opal Cabochons
	The stunning beauty of black opal is shown to extraordinary advantage in the newly found Virgin Rainbow opal - an opal already so treasured that it has earned its own name.

Two Australian outback opal miners became incredibly lucky (and wealthy!) on September 11, 2003, when they found the huge opal gem (measuring 2.5" long, 0.55" in diameter and weighing 72.65 carats) now named the Virgin Rainbow.

They're trying to do some 'guerilla marketing' to sell their find, and if you help them, you can benefit from their activities.

What you might win

The two miners are giving away two lovely opal cabochons - smooth highly polished opal - to the person who submits the best entry in the competition (below).  Each cabochon is at least 1 carat in weight - these are big and suitable for mounting in ear rings or any other jewellery you might choose.  They have an assessed retail value in excess of $600, and due to their special provenance, they are probably even more valuable than other similar stones.

These cabochons are particularly significant because they too were found by Johnny Dunstan, one of the two miners who found the Virgin Rainbow.  He found them, then cut and polished them himself.

So, while you may not choose to bid to purchase the Virgin Rainbow itself (estimated value of over $5 million) you have a chance to win, for free, a pair of lovely opals found by the same prospector, and from the same region in South Australia.

How to enter

Johnny and his partner, Steve Zagar, have created a website showcasing their find (called, naturally enough, www.virginrainbow.com ).

As part of their site, they have created a list of reasons why celebrities might want to own the Virgin Rainbow (opal is considered a lucky stone for actors and performing artists).

All you have to do is come up with another reason why a celebrity might want to have the Virgin Rainbow as their own.  Simply complete the electronic entry form below and click on the 'send' button.

Hints on how to win

We suggest you read through the current reasons already shown on the Virgin Rainbow website.  The winning entry will probably be :

• Short

• Clever/witty

• Original

• Perhaps slightly sardonic in nature

• Not taking itself, the celebrity, or the reason for ownership too seriously

You can enter as many times as you like.

And - of course - please make sure that your email address is correctly entered on your entry form!

Please tell your friends

Please encourage as many people to enter as possible.  Please send this page to your friends so that they can have a chance at entering/winning, too.  The page url is https://www.thetravelinsider.info/2004/opalcompetition.htm .

Enter Here

Competition Rules

Competition is open to everyone, everywhere, except in such cases where local, international or Australian law deems such competitions or entries unlawful.

You may enter as many times as you wish.  No purchase necessary.

Entries close at midnight, Greenwich Mean Time, on Sunday 11 April 2004.

In the event of two identical winning entries being received, the entry received first, as shown by the timestamp on the entry form, will be deemed the winner.

Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received.  One prize will be awarded.

The details of the entrant, as shown in the entry form, are assumed to be correct and any dispute over the identity of the winner will be resolved by John Dunstan and his official agents.  Such decision will be final and binding and the reasons for such decision need not be explained.

If we can't establish contact with the winner, by email, within 72 hours from sending them a notice advising them of their win, their win is cancelled and we will award the prize to the second best entry received, and similarly if no confirmation is received, on to subsequent potential winners as may be necessary.

No responsibility is taken for any non-delivery and non-receipt of any entries, for any internet or website outages, or any other service problems.  Receipt of entries will not be acknowledged.

The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Winner will be announced in the Travel Insider newsletter on Friday 16 April.

Any disputes or other matters arising out of this competition will be adjudicated under the laws of South Australia, in a Court in the Coober Pedy district.

The winner will receive two opal cabochons that were found and polished by John Dunstan.  This will be shipped via registered airmail to the address you supply us.  You (the winner) are responsible for any customs duties, taxes, or other costs associated with receiving this prize.

All entries become the property of John Dunstan.  You agree that he may use your entry (whether it wins the prize or not) in any way at any time.

The winner agrees that their name, city of residence, state and country, may all be used in promotional activities reasonably related to the sale of the Virgin Rainbow opal.

David M Rowell, dba The Travel Insider, merely publishes this competition information, and has no responsibility or liability for any matters related thereto.

If so, please donate to keep the website free and fund the addition of more articles like this. Any help is most appreciated - simply click below to securely send a contribution through a credit card and Paypal.