E. H. “Herb” Staines
Edgar Herbert “Herb” Staines was born on 18 February 1900 in Cooktown, Queensland, the son of Henry and Amy Staines. He grew up in Brisbane and trained as a manufacturing jeweller. By the 1940s, he had become a regular visitor to Lightning Ridge, where he mined and bought opal.
Staines had a jewellery shop in Edward Street, Brisbane, called The Cave of Gems. He was one of the most outspoken advocates for Australian opal, especially black opal from Lightning Ridge. He published articles, lectured, and maintained an extensive photograph and film archive, some of which survives in the Lightning Ridge Historical Society’s collection.
In 1947, Staines was commissioned to design a pendant as a wedding gift for Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II. The piece included Lightning Ridge opal and was valued at £200. He completed it in just two weeks, selecting a large light opal for the centre to complement the Princess’s complexion. A matching set of earrings was also created. The pendant was publicly displayed in Brisbane before being sent to London.
Herb Staines (left) and Dick Springer in the 1940s.
Staines was a frequent and passionate writer. His views were widely read in industry journals and contributed to the broader understanding of opal’s geological, commercial, and cultural significance.
He also gave lectures to gemmological societies, describing opal as “the wonder stone” and emphasising its importance as Australia’s national gem. His talks often included the histories of major opals, including The Flame Queen, The Pandora, and The Queen of the Earth, many of which passed through his hands or those of his close associates.
In 1944, he misplaced over £1,000 worth of rare black opals on a Sydney train. He had packed the stones in tins wrapped in newspaper and could not recall when they were lost.
Herb Staines died in Brisbane on 28 December 1961 at the age of 61 and is buried at Holland Park.
Article: Research by Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: Lightning Ridge - The Home of the Black Opal: Unique to the World, Gan Bruce, 1983, pp. 17, 43; ‘£1,000 Jewellery Loss’, The Evening Advocate, 22 June 1944, p. 4; ‘Is The “Ridge” Finished?’, The Commonwealth Jeweller and Watchmaker, 10 December 1957, p. 102; ‘Queensland Gifts to Royal Couple’, The Courier Mail, 29 October 1947, p. 4.