Kelsey I. Newman

Kelsey Illedge Newman was born in 1872 in New South Wales, the son of William Newman and Mary Newman.

Newman was a retired Australian businessman who was famous for being a private collector of opals, particularly black opals from Lightning Ridge. By the late 1920s he was the owner of The Flame Queen. In August that year Newman wrote to The Sydney Morning Herald as the gem’s owner, correcting published descriptions of its play-of-colour and noting that he had been offered £2,000 for it three years earlier, but stating it could command far more due to its “uniqueness of size, colour, shape, and beauty.”

In March 1950, an exhibition in Bond Street would feature some of the world’s finest opals from Newman’s private collection, which were reportedly kept in a bank strongroom. In May 1950, Newman again exhibited opals in London and was quoted saying that he simply liked opals, began saving them, and had never sold an opal once purchased.

In 1951 another exhibition was hosted in London showing of his stones. He staunchly dismissed the oft-touted superstition that opals were unlucky, and once more The Flame Queen was singled out as his most valuable stone, now given a value of £15,000. Newman was said to have had several notable stones including The Flame Queen, The Temple of Light, The Rajah, The Forest Fire, and Moonlight at Sea.

While Newman was not a miner, his role in the history of Lightning Ridge opal is significant for the way his collection helped to publicly promote black opal.

Kelsey I. Newman passed away on 13 July 1961, aged 89 and was cremated. His ashes are interred in the East Terrace memorial wall at the Northern Suburbs Memorial Gardens.

• Kelsey I. Newman @ Find a Grave.

Article: Research by Russell Gawthorpe and Leisa Carney, edited by Russell Gawthorpe. LRHS research compiled by Len Cram and Barbara Moritz. Sources: ‘The Opal’, Sydney Morning Herald, 16 June 1928, p. 14; ‘The Flame Queen’, Sydney Morning Herald, 1 September 1928, p. 14; ‘Display of Australian Opals’, The Gemologist, May 1937, p. 246; ‘Magnificent Australian Opals’, Official Journal of the Gemmological Association of the National Association of Goldsmiths, England, July 1937; ‘Geological Museum’s New Exhibits’, The London Times, July 1937; ‘Opal Show’, The Advertiser, 23 March 1950, p. 10; ‘Duchess Sees Opal Display’, Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, 5 April 1950, p. 7; ‘Opal Collection’, The Morning Bulletin, 4 May 1950, p. 6; ‘Festival Opals Exhibition for Greek Children’, Scottish Home Service: News Talk, 14 August 1950, 6:20pm; ‘Opals Bad Luck, “Hooey”’, Daily Mirror, 4 July 1951, p. 2; ‘For One Opal - $37,500’, The Australian Women’s Weekly, 28 May 1969, p. 3.