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NARRATOR: On this episode,
the gem hunters are strangers in a strange land,
searching remote boom towns for huge opals.
Have a look at that. This is the source.
Welo opal is only found
in the tiny region of northern Ethiopia.
DIANE: Oh, careful! Careful!
The path to success will be treacherous.
We're screwed.
NARRATOR: With government minders, police, and brokers
all hindering the deal,
it will take all their skill to lift the veil
on the Ethiopian opal trade.
I must trust this man.
DIANE: Careful, Ronnie.
It's a quest of biblical proportions.
Is that frankincense I smell?
NARRATOR: Ron LeBlanc is a gem hunter.
He knows that every precious jewel on earth
is born the same way.
They're found.
They're bargained for.
They are transformed.
I take a rough stone like this. I cut and polish it.
I turn it into a stone like this.
NARRATOR: With a team of professionals by his side,
Ron travels to treacherous corners of the world
in search of pay dirt.
This is worth $2,000.
This is worth 30,000 bucks.
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
NARRATOR: Fortunes can be made overnight
on newly discovered gemstones,
and the Welo opal has created a buzz like no other.
Discovered in 2008
in a mountainous region of Ethiopia,
its incredible play of color rivals all other opals.
However, confusing government regulations
make it near impossible to buy.
But a package of high-grade rough
can fetch 10 times its original price
on the international market.
Ron's mission is to separate fact from fiction
and secure the largest high-grade rough opal
he can find.
In the sacred earth,
it gives forth this thing called the opal.
Now, this particular opal --
you know, it's different than the Australian,
different than the Mexican.
Has particular -- all kinds of colors, or so I'm told.
But we have very little intelligence,
so, you know, I don't really know this gem,
but I'm going to seek it out,
and if it is truly as beautiful as I think,
I'm gonna call my clients,
I'm gonna try to pick up some for them and for myself,
and it's gonna be quite a mission here in Ethiopia.
NARRATOR: Diane's mission is an opal quest
of self-financed risk and reward.
DIANE: I want to see what Ethiopia has to offer.
If the opals are great, I'm gonna buy them for my handbags,
I'm gonna buy them for my inventory,
but, you know, I really don't know what to expect.
NARRATOR: With 35 years as a geologist and stonecutter,
Bernie is an opal expert.
But he's going to have to navigate
some of the toughest gem laws in the world.
It seems to always be the case
that we show up in these countries
and the governments are talking about putting bans
on exports of gemstones.
So, this is a very unique opportunity for gem hunters
to get on board with this stuff.
NARRATOR: The team has traveled back in time
to the ancient city of Addis Ababa,
capital of Ethiopia.
Here they use the Ge'ez calendar,
so it's actually 2005.
It's this kind of confusion
that's going to challenge them at every stage of the hunt,
and it's not long before the first obstacle arises.
It's illegal to exchange money on the street,
so the hunters urgently need a bank.
The security is tough, but the bureaucracy is tougher,
and before Ron can start chasing opals,
he needs to prove his U.S. bills aren't counterfeit.
There's a lot of counterfeit money
out of Iran and North Korea, or so it's told, allegedly,
and so they're very careful about $100 bills here in Africa.
NARRATOR: Once okayed,
each bank note is linked to Ron's passport.
Ron's not going to spend a single dollar
without the government knowing about it.
You bring in 1,000, you spend 800,
you need a receipt for that 800.
NARRATOR: With U.S. dollars cleared
and exchanged into Ethiopian birr,
Ron's search for opals can finally begin.
We start.
Still tricky. Still tricky.
Everything's about working out the gory details
so we can concentrate on the hunt.
All this [bleep] drives me crazy, you know?
The best thing for us is a big, big *** in the pocket, right?
NARRATOR: Ethiopia's opal industry
is rife with strict laws and regulations,
so Ron has organized a lunch with leading officials
to figure out the facts from the fiction.
DIANE: If we want to buy stones and opals here,
what is the legal way we do it?
We just can't buy them and take them out?
No way.
You need to follow the rules and regulations
of the government.
Government regulations make buying opals
from the general public highly illegal.
Only a select handful of businessmen
have licenses to sell opals.
RON: Right from the giddyup,
you have to be very, very, very concerned
not to make early enemies
and maybe somebody that you can call at the end of the mission
if you're in a mud hut or you're in a prison at the airport.
You need allies.
We must follow those regulations.
We must follow those registered buyers.
So, I would get in trouble?
Obviously.
You're buying from wrong buyer and illegal miners.
NARRATOR: One of the exporters at the luncheon
has invited the team to see his opals at his shop.
All right.
We're seeing a gentleman called Mr. Takele, I think -- Takele.
Lovely guy.
He heads a gem organization.
I think he's an exporter,
so we're gonna get a lot of goodies here.
We're gonna look at some stones.
NARRATOR: With only 10 days in Ethiopia
and no experience with Welo opals,
the hunters need to get hands-on experience, and fast.
And Takele is keen to show them his selection of Welo opals.
RON: Good stuff. Nice stuff. Very pretty.
TAKELE: Very different colors.
Very lovely play of color.
I don't know if you're catching that with the screen, but --
And it's quite encouraging to see it.
It's something I still have to learn about
to designate as really, really good or not,
but they're certainly,
right from the start, very pleasant.
Diane has instantly fallen in love with the stones
and their ability to change color.
Well, we both thought this was a really pretty opal,
but then when Ron put his hand around it
and it's darker to simulate night, the stone pops.
You can see more green.
You can see more fire, which would be perfect.
So, that would be fabulous on a handbag.
And I think that's one of the appraisals --
consistency of color.
If you get color consistent, fully across the stone,
that's one measure of quality, so...
How much is something like this?
It goes from $50 U.S. per carat to $100 per carat.
Ron was hoping to pay a maximum of $20 U.S. per carat.
Takele's stones range from $50 to $100 U.S. per carat,
way above his budget.
But Takele has some very impressive rough
the hunters would love to get their hands on.
BERNIE: This is the kind of stuff that I'm interested in.
I'd like to get some bigger sizes,
but, um... it all depends on price.
What is the per-kilo cost?
TAKELE: Per-kilo cost?
$3,000 U.S.
$3,000 U.S.
per kg?
RON: Kilogram.
NARRATOR: Bernie has a budget of $1,000 to invest in rough opals,
but $1,500 per pound ends this deal before it began.
These are expensive.
Bernie has asked Takele to hold on to the rough
until they return from the mines up north.
All right.
I think that was essential intelligence information.
I think we saw all the colors there and beautiful stuff.
They're talking "B"- grades, but I saw some fantastic stuff,
and I think Bernie's really happy,
and Diane looks like she's gonna find something, too,
so, all in all, a complete, unmitigated success.
But then we haven't sussed out the source.
This is early in the mission,
and I'm thrilled to be heading towards the source.
NARRATOR: The source is Wegel Tena,
but in the 2-day drive, Ron passes Mezezo,
a remote mountain village
and former mining boom town of the '90s.
It was here that the chocolate opal was discovered in 1995
and launched Ethiopia's gem industry,
and Ron can't help but have a look.
And it was a brown opal, and the whole world
had really never seen this version of opal before.
Very, very beautiful.
It kind of -- And they went at it very exuberantly.
Everybody was mining the thing.
They took it around the planet,
and, unfortunately, it all cracked.
So, there was a lot of pushback, a lot of backlash,
and they decided, "To hell with this.
We're going back to farming."
NARRATOR: It was this backlash
that created the need for strict regulations,
and it's here Ron meets the government minder
who will enforce them.
Where the opal began, Diane.
Wow.
We're in Mezezo. Mezezo.
MAN: Mezezo.
Mezezo. Hello.
Hello, sir. How are you?
Very, very good. This is Diane.
Hi. Nice to meet you.
Now, what does your friends call you?
What's your name?
My name is Tolda.
Yeah.
Yeah. Now, this chocolate opal -- what does it look like?
The chocolate opal?
Wow. Oh, my God. Look at this.
Look at this stone -- absolutely beautiful.
Fire opal and a fabled type of opal --
the brown opal, here only in Mezezo.
You know, like any fragile beauty,
so unbelievably terrific.
Now, you're from the Ministry of Mines, eh?
RON: Right away, I'm thinking, "Oh, my God.
"Is this guy gonna be with us all the time?
Is this gonna have a cobbling effect on what we can do?"
But I don't like anybody watching me
when I'm doing my work.
NARRATOR: Like it or not, the government minder
will be with Ron for the rest of his journey.
Now, what about this? The chocolate opal?
Ron's keen to buy from the source,
but he needs to determine whether or not
his minder will help him.
RON: I don't know what his agenda is.
I don't really want to figure it out.
I don't know if he's friend or foe,
and it's just rather exhausting for me,
and I really don't like it.
So, we have to confirm the intelligence that we've got,
and we always find the intelligence wanting, you know?
NARRATOR: Navigating the intentions of the minders
might be as difficult as the narrow cliffs in front of him.
Okay. Okay.
Oh, careful! Careful!
BERNIE: Ron, are you okay? Ron!
NARRATOR: Ron's on his way down to the mine
where they found the first opals in Ethiopia.
BERNIE: Ron, are you okay? Ron!
Save the hat.
NARRATOR: But it cost him.
DIANE: Careful. Those are not good shoes.
I'm good. Thank you.
You always give a little of the essential fluids, eh?
I'm sliding down the --
sliding down the path, and there you go.
Now they're treating me like a grandfather, you know?
God, I'm only 61.
Okay. Whoa, look at this!
NARRATOR: It's the source of the chocolate opals.
Situated only 4 feet below the surface,
there's a huge opal vein millions of years old.
Ohh! So, this is all opal?
Yeah. Yeah. You see, the layer --
But not good opal?
Yes. They are dead opal.
Yeah.
Well, I didn't know opal died.
Below.
Below right here, for sure?
Yeah, yeah.
RON: What the hell's that?
Whoa! Hoo-hoo!
Look at that, man.
Unbelievable.
The old hawkeye's got it again.
You want to know if there's opal here?
Have a look at that.
It is. It is here.
This is the source.
NARRATOR: Ron knows where there's one opal,
there's a hundred more,
and he wants to test his minder
and try to buy some opals back in the town.
You cannot be encumbered by rules and regulations too much
when you're going to the source and satisfying yourself
and your clients in these gem hunts,
and I think there was product in that town.
NARRATOR: Whether there was product there or not,
the government minder says without a legal broker,
there's nothing for Ron to see or buy.
He's not letting Ron bend any rules.
It's minder, 1, Ron, zip.
With nothing to show from Mezezo,
the hunters continue their journey
into the depths of the Great Rift Valley
to Wegel Tena,
a 12-hour, 6,000-foot ascent
to the legendary Welo opal mines.
After days of gathering intel
and traveling north without buying any opals,
Ron's patience is running out.
RON: We got four hours, I think, on this nasty road,
and that's the source,
and that is where I'd like to buy,
and that's where I'm going to buy.
A lot of these minders are driving us nuts,
always warning you, "Careful, don't do that.
You're gonna end up in a cage," you know?
Everybody's always got these agendas that are palpable
on this particular mission.
What's going on?
Looks like we had a little trouble
with one of the support vehicles here that's with us.
Which tire?
NARRATOR: This unexpected breakdown gives Ron the opportunity
to draw their line in the sand with the government minder.
This is a long road.
You know we're eating a lot of dust.
We got to know there are stones up there.
There's -- Do we --
Are there stones up there? Are we gonna see some opal?
We're gonna see some mines,
but we're here to buy some opal, get some opal.
Yeah.
Yes.
Absolute guarantee?
100%.
All right, brothers.
Ahh. Ahhh!
NARRATOR: With minders promising opals at the source,
the team carries on, traveling late into the night
toward Wegel Tena.
Well, this is our first morning in Wegel Tena.
It's a long night at the truck stop.
Ah, I love the smell of diesel in the morning.
Well, we're looking for transportation out of here.
I think we may be going to a mine.
I think we're going on donkeys.
NARRATOR: It's a long trek to the Welo opal mine,
so Ron's decided to use some four-legged locals to get there.
[Bleep] Bernie.
For God's sakes, change your shorts.
Okay.
[ Laughs ]
With transportation finally arranged,
the gem hunters saddle up and head for the hills.
BERNIE: [ Laughing ]
Well, we're heading to the source of the opal
here in Wegel Tena.
Supposedly, the donkey that I'm riding on --
his owner found the first opal,
so this is the guy that found the first opal in the area.
Is that frankincense I smell, or is that myrrh?
[ Sniffs ] Ohh.
NARRATOR: 10 times longer than the Grand Canyon,
it's here in the Rift Valley
the team must descend through millions of years
of treacherous rock formations to the mine below.
One wrong step can be deadly.
I was going where Mequanant was going.
One person dies per week on this climb,
falling off the edge of the cliff.
NARRATOR: It is, without a doubt,
the most dangerous trek to a mine
the hunters have ever experienced.
With one fall already, Diane's not taking any chances.
Okay.
We're not climbing down that.
Oh, no, it's much scarier than it looks.
Come on down here, Diane. You see the steps?
It's easy.
Situated 1,000 feet below,
the local villagers are mining opal veins on precarious ledges.
Diane, I wouldn't go if I were you.
The issue is, healthwise, I think I could do it.
Nerve- and anxiety-wise, I'm not sure.
[ Laughs ]
Although Ron wants to see the Welo opal mine
with his own eyes,
the team decides it's just too risky to go any further.
It's obvious the mine is still producing,
as miners haul opals back up the steep cliffs,
but Ron wants to at least see what's available.
Let's start a stone market here to look at.
People come by. Come on.
Any miners coming up? We'll look at their stones.
Yeah. There's a guy had a big bag.
I mean, we can't buy here, and we wouldn't buy here,
but we could see something here, couldn't we?
The miners are keen to show their opals,
but with government minders watching, it's too risky.
But if we're not buying, we're not encouraging,
we could at least see something going by.
RON: I want to see what the product out of the mine is.
Do they have product?
And so we're wondering what in the hell's going on,
and we're suspecting once again there's some kind of stall,
there's some crap going on.
They seem to be very nervous
about us looking at product that we can buy.
NARRATOR: Ron was promised he would see Welo opals
at the source, but he hasn't.
He's traveled two days to get here and is empty-handed.
His time and patience are running out.
NARRATOR: Time is running out for Ron in Ethiopia.
He's been on the road for days without seeing a single opal.
But after their visit to the mine,
a local miner has come forward with opals for sale.
All right. Oh, geez.
Five days and we may get to look at a bauble.
Well, this Mequanant said he has the goods.
We're gonna find out.
Oh, God.
I hope we're not being her--
You know, there's always a specter
that we're being herded again
and that everybody's in collusion.
We've grown a little paranoid.
But I think this is a little bit better.
Good to see you.
NARRATOR: The broker, Mequanant, or "Big Mac,"
is partners with the miner who first found the Welo opal
and is the key to accessing stones for sale.
He's arranged a meeting without the government minders.
I think we're tremendously fortunate
to be seeing these opals sort of for the first time
that we've been tracking them down,
and it's with the guy that actually found the Welo opal --
the first guy that found it -- Mola.
When I look at these things,
I remember back,
and they just seem so unique to me,
and I really, really like them.
I've fallen in love with this stone.
Look at how white that is.
BERNIE: What's really important is the intensity of the fire,
and you can see this little honey really talks.
NARRATOR: But in the excitement
of finally seeing Welo opals direct from the mine,
Bernie gives away a little too much.
BERNIE: So, you have to cut down a little bit deeper.
You'll get into that same fire layer.
That will double the price of that stone.
Yeah. Okay.
RON: Thank you, Bernie.
I just lost my stone.
I appreciate your help.
[Bleep]
Bernie!
I haven't even cut the deal yet!
You know, he's telling the guy, "Take it back.
"Cut a little bit off,
insignificant amounts, and double the price."
Bernie, Bernie, Bernie, what are you doing?!
What about these five?
How much?
I must trust this man.
These are the stones -- these stones.
He's saying 1,200 per gram for these pieces.
1,200 a gram?
NARRATOR: At $60 per gram,
it's 1/10 the price of Takele's opals in Addis Ababa.
If you want to start a business --
and I told him, "You don't need to make a big profit.
At least if you get some money, you get some money."
RON: I need the best price on these three.
Weigh them, and I'll buy that from you
if you give me a good price.
You know, there are stones that I like
and I'm gonna have a little crack at them, and I --
You know, and I think I want to deal with these guys, too.
I like them, to start off with,
plus this is the guy that first found the Welo opal.
You don't know what that means in branding.
It's unbelievable.
So, I'm gonna do some business to open some business.
You know, I want to start business.
I got to have this guy with me, okay?
He's your pal, all right?
NARRATOR: They're sticking to their price,
but Ron knows the value of this relationship
could outweigh the value of the opal itself.
60 a gram?
Okay.
Okay. Deal.
Ahh. Ahhh!
Don't -- Tell him next time, it's not so easy.
At $60 per gram, Ron secured 30 carats of Welo opal for $360.
He knows he can sell this for at least $4,000.
RON: It confirmed the fact that these guys are honorable,
that our man, Big Mac, there, would work for us,
and that the stones can be found here
and that they are cheaper than Addis Ababa.
NARRATOR: With one successful opal deal complete,
Ron's hoping he can find more miners
willing to bring their opals to Mequanant.
So, he heads to the town's huge outdoor market.
Ron knows news travels fast in gem towns like Wegel Tena,
and his presence here won't go unnoticed.
Uh, wow. This is extraordinary.
So, this is the big market in Wegel Tena,
just where the source of the opal we're looking for
is just a little ways away.
So, we're gonna breeze through here. Who knows?
We're thinking maybe a few kids
from out of the hole there in the opal mine
might show up and show us some goods,
so we're just gonna browse around.
I guess people know where to set up.
Maybe this is the grain area.
Yeah.
That was the donkey area.
Okay.
Hello. Salaam.
We heard there are stone sellers here, too,
so we wanted to see what the local people
are selling the stones for.
Then we'd see if it's different than the brokers.
Yeah, it's more intelligence.
Of course, we'd love to buy, but there's a lot of cautions
we've been getting over and over again
that it's illegal and we could lose the truck,
throw in the wife, throw in a mud hut,
so we're a little nervous about that, but we'd like to see it.
There's pure intelligence comes out here.
Whoa, donkey!
Wow. This is tough.
Shall we dig in a little bit?
NARRATOR: And before long, Ron finds a local boy
who says he can find them Welo opals in the market.
We were looking for some opals, but we just wanted to see,
is there anywhere we could see some opals
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
But we're a little bit nervous.
We don't want millions of people come running up.
Yeah, yeah.
And we have to be careful.
We can't really -- We're not going to buy,
but we'd like to see something.
Is that possible?
BERNIE: Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!
[ Shouting indistinctly ]
DIANE: All right.
What do you think of that?
Don't get into trouble yourself.
NARRATOR: Their presence in the market
has been noticed by local police.
You can see the police over my shoulder there,
and they're no doubt bird-*** us here,
so those -- those minders -- they're everywhere!
God, I'm getting paranoid.
But, you know, I know the stones are here.
I can feel the stones are here.
We all know the stones are here,
but I think that these guys are really spooked.
Hopefully, they'll trail us, maybe, out of the place
or something like that,
but they're not gonna come out 'cause they're too freaked out.
NARRATOR: Ron's been warned
not to speak to locals at the market about opals,
and the police are making sure that doesn't happen.
The tightrope Ron is walking has just snapped.
NARRATOR: Local police have abruptly shut down
Ron's visit to a local market.
Every time we go off the leash, they double up the leash.
We're seeing the police. We're seeing the miners.
Here they come.
Everybody's old lady is trying to herd us into one spot,
and it's so aggravating for us
because, you know, we can't dodge them.
NARRATOR: And he's nervous about the idea
of spending a night in an Ethiopian jail.
RON: 'Cause we know there's product here all over the place,
and yet we can't --
They will not come up and see us 'cause everybody is freaked out.
For the moment, we will retreat to fight another day.
NARRATOR: The police have tied up the government minders
in an argument about permits and fees.
In the confusion,
Ron leaves the scene without the government minders.
As they make their way through the township,
they recognize a group of men from the mine...
...and suddenly, a bag of rough is at their window.
Ooh!
RON: Ooh!
NARRATOR: Bernie's impressed,
but Ron's taking no chances with this roadside deal.
Ron uses a nearby alleyway to take a look at the package.
RON: This is nice, of course,
and, you know, that'll pay for the package, all right?
Geez.
NARRATOR: But with all the warnings Ron's received
and his brush with the law,
it's just too risky to do a street deal.
RON: I'm getting a little bit paranoid
because they cautioned us against buying there,
but I'm thinking, "We want to skate and push the law."
It looked like the law was going to be a monster
and a monkey on our back.
NARRATOR: Ron knows he can take this to his new contact,
Big Mac, and make the deal legal.
All right. Okay. All right.
This could be the only chance Ron, Bernie, and Diane get
to buy rough opal,
so they've decided to combine their cash
and work together to secure the package.
Ron knows there's one Welo opal in the bag
that's worth at least $2,000 U.S. on its own.
The deal is for everything.
We take everything, but we try to work with the price.
He's asking $85,000.
That's $4,700 U.S.
Mola is here.
Ron's deal with Mola in the morning
now seems to be helping negotiations in the afternoon.
That'd be nice.
We're thinking $2,000.
$3,300.
Oh, $3,000? Oh, $3,300?
Dude, I'll give you $2,500. That's it.
Uh... you can think about it.
NARRATOR: Ron's plan
of doing long-term business with these guys is working.
You have a deal.
It's a deal.
Good work. Thank you. Thank you.
Appreciate it.
We'll come back to see you.
The team has paid $2,500 U.S.
for 4 1/2 pounds of rough Welo opal.
But once cut, it'll be worth more than $25,000 U.S.
I could have got that thing a little cheaper,
but I just did not want to
because there was a bigger thing than price going on there,
and that was the first foray into our relationship.
NARRATOR: And Ron needs to test this new relationship
the following morning.
He still needs huge opals if he is to complete his mission,
so he calls Mequanant.
Mequanant. Yeah, Ron.
Yeah, still here.
He wants to take this hunt to the next level.
You know, I mean, you talk about loyalty,
but it's got to be proven.
Every day, it's proven.
Show me some stones, for God's sakes.
He wants 2 pounds of the best rough Welo opal
direct from the source.
You got some?
All right.
I'm gonna trust you.
You guarantee it?
And Mequanant says he has a miner with huge opals
that will satisfy Ron's mission.
Okay. Bye.
Problem is...
the material is in Addis Ababa,
and that means a 2-day off-road race against time
for Ron and the convoy.
But before they reach Addis Ababa,
disaster strikes one of the vehicles.
RON: Holy [bleep]
I hate this [bleep]
It cuts into the stone time, but it's so, you know --
You never know whether you're gonna be able
to find the parts in these places.
BERNIE: Looks like a broken strut,
and it tore the brake line.
Major, major disaster.
DIANE: I said I wouldn't say it's the best place to break down.
It's not like there's a garage around the corner.
This is insane, but, you know, we can't let this thing --
This is really, really gonna screw up our mission,
but we can't let this happen, you know?
I'm gonna have to find something.
If it's not gonna happen here, I'll get it myself.
You know what I mean?
Nothing can stop us. We got to go up.
I'll take a [bleep] bus if we have to.
I got to get back to Addis.
I don't care.
Hitchhike -- I don't give a [bleep]
I'll take a [bleep] horse or a camel, you know?
So, anyway, Diane,
get ready to ride a camel back to Addis.
Won't be my first camel.
And, Bernie, get a donkey.
You look very good on a donkey.
Yeah, you're good on a donkey, Bernie.
Yeah. I'll do the donkey.
Yeah, Mac, yeah. Ron here.
Look it. Yeah, yeah.
I know we got a -- yeah. Yeah.
I can't see you at that time.
I don't know when I'm gonna be there.
Yeah, we got a lot of trouble on the road here.
This is the problem when you're on a gem hunt
and you don't have a time contingency.
We're screwed.
NARRATOR: With nearly 200 miles of the journey still to go
and a vehicle lying in ruin,
Ron's major opal deal is on the verge of collapse.
RON: One of the cars broke down.
No, no.
Look, bro, I don't know how long it's gonna be.
Okay.
Look, I'm gonna be a little late.
I'm gonna have to call you later today.
Don't worry about it. I'm gonna be there. Yeah.
All right.
This is not gonna be fixed quick, eh?
So, yeah. Well, can we take one of the other cars or something?
We can't miss a -- We can't miss.
So, maybe we can shift a few things.
You guys can come with luggage later.
Maybe we can grab this car here, if it works.
Yeah, okay.
Yeah, we're gonna snap up the support vehicle,
and we're gonna dump the cook
and various other minders and things,
and we're trimming down,
so the issue is just to shift from the vehicle, and it works.
And the fixer has stepped up, in this case,
and is gonna give us the vehicle,
and we don't bemoan who we're gonna be leaving behind,
as well, so it's kind of good.
We're gonna preen, and we're gonna go ahead.
NARRATOR: Ron's game of cat and mouse with the minders
is in play again.
He's completed two legal opal deals without his minders,
and leaving them on the roadside
brings him one step closer to finishing his mission.
RON: You know, we're hoping to do a lockdown
to a very substantial deal,
but we need to get away from the prying eyes.
It's gonna be real fine for me, I think.
I hope so.
A bit scary, you know -- a bit nervous, always --
but this is what I really, really like.
Anyways, I guess it'll be not too long now.
We'll be in the big city.
DIANE: There's essentially a day and a half left
for me to find product, buy it, wire money,
and get it out of the country.
You know, I have got to find stones either today
or first thing tomorrow morning.
NARRATOR: Armed with the knowledge of prices at the source,
the team returns to one of the biggest opal dealers
in the city, Takele,
knowing exactly what they want to pay.
They've seen the stones from the previous visit.
Now it's just a question of beating Takele at his own game.
BERNIE: You'll get the fire with candlelight.
How much does that weigh, and how much would that cost?
The minimum price per carat is $50.
NARRATOR: At $50 per carat, that's 4 times the price
Ron paid for cut stones in Wegel Tena.
That's a little high.
It'll have to be a substantial decrease from that $50, okay?
We will discuss with my partner and the discount.
NARRATOR: Takele is barely budging on price.
We could make a discount of 10% is what he said.
Even with a 10% discount, that's $45.
That would be too high.
DIANE: At that point, I was feeling deflated.
I have a day and a half left. I need to get my stones.
Myself -- I thought, "Well, I'm leaving with nothing."
NARRATOR: Diane's deal is dead,
but Bernie's got one more trick up his sleeve.
He wants to negotiate a second time
for the opal he turned down at $3,000.
If you are ready to take them with you, we can, uh...
MAN: Give you a discount.
No, no discount. Very good discount.
What's the kilo price on this?
1,800.
Whoa!
BERNIE: I could see that these guys were a little bit antsy
and they wanted to do business.
They wanted to consummate a business arrangement with us.
Well, Bernie, make a final thing,
and maybe these guys will jump on it.
Maybe they won't. Maybe they'll send us all away.
Yeah, I could pay 1,000 a kilo for this material.
For $600.
$625. Huh?
Okay, good for friendship.
[ Applause ]
Mission complete.
NARRATOR: Bernie's bought 650 grams of rough opal for $650.
Once cut, these opals could be worth more than $15,000 U.S.
All right.
It's Ron's last day in Ethiopia, and he needs to secure the cash
for Mequanant's huge deal later this evening,
so he puts in a call to one of his biggest clients.
Forget it all. I found it.
I found the good stuff.
Yeah. I know you got the scratch.
Look, let's go for this.
Ron secures $15,000 from his client.
All trust, all trust, so when you're putting all trust,
that means I'm putting all my [bleep] on this.
I need this guy to keep that vault open
forever and ever and ever and ever.
Whoo! All right.
We're in the game. We're in the game.
NARRATOR: Big Mac's arrived at Ron's hotel with a miner
who claims to have the biggest rough opal money can buy.
And with government minders
still stranded with the broken vehicle,
Mequanant can broker the deal legally without interference.
Of course. Good.
RON: It's really, really, really scary.
I'm freaked out. There's no time left.
I am counting on the gods to favor me,
'cause I don't know how else I'm gonna get this thing done.
NARRATOR: Ron's previous deals
have only satisfied Bernie and Diane's missions.
His gamble on Mequanant's sourcing gigantic rough opals
will determine his mission's success or failure.
They are the biggest opals the gem hunters have ever seen.
RON: Anyways, he pulls out the stones,
and, yes, it is confirmed, in the cold light of night,
just looking at the face of pure beauty --
the top end of the market.
This is the stuff -- That's why I get up in the morning.
That's why I'm in this thing.
I can see the *** just flowing out like lava
outside of Bernie and Diane, as well.
It's like there's just fire below there trying to jump out.
Yeah, let's not get too --
Oh, not too excited. Not too excited.
NARRATOR: But before they get too excited,
they need to establish the price.
Ohh!
There's no possibility of me leaving that room
without that package.
I don't give a [bleep] if it was $30,000, $40,000.
Numbers didn't make any difference to me.
It was beyond numbers.
I needed that beautiful package.
Around the half figure is where it counts.
NARRATOR: At nearly $33,000,
it's going to take all their gem-dealing skills
to bring this price down.
NARRATOR: Ron's in the biggest opal deal of his life.
The price for the monster package in front of him
is nearly $33,000.
Ohh!
NARRATOR: He's only got $15,000 to spend.
Take your time.
Mequanant -- I nudge him, and he knows what's going on.
He knows that price is too much.
He suggests that half the price would do.
He's saying that amount and take the half --
based on the half, we'll do the price, okay?
All right. Okay, okay, okay.
Yeah. I will talk to him.
I don't know, guys.
I think it's gonna be tough.
I don't know.
I don't like that price.
I'm getting a little nervous about this.
Well, what kind of money do we have to play with here?
We can get it with 10 grand.
We could do the thing for $10,000.
It's not an insult. They love a little extra number.
$10,000. That's it, okay?
Okay, okay? Let's go.
All right. We'll see what happens.
This is kind of freaky. Okay.
And I told him, "They were going to give us a price.
Then if you're happy, we'll sell it."
That's it -- long-term.
Price is 10,000.
Yep.
Budget's tough.
That's it.
[ Speaking native language ]
NARRATOR: He's called Ron's bluff.
He's packing up his opals and, with them, Ron's dreams
of securing the biggest gem package yet.
If Ron and the team want to secure this package,
they're going to need a plan "B."
The whole thing -- I mean...
You can go too low.
We're gonna lose the thing for a few thousand dollars.
Look, how much money is that worth?
You're thinking $70,000.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I know.
For 2 or 3 grand, we're gonna walk.
The bottom line, though -- this is like a poker game,
and you got to keep your poker face on.
If this guy catches wind that we're too hungry for it,
we're gonna blow the deal.
Hey, they're still here.
Yes.
He didn't walk out on Mac's, right?
All right. All right.
We're gonna get this package.
All right.
I don't know about $10,000. Okay, let's see.
Come on.
You said...$10,000.
RON: I said $10,000, but I was...
And I completed to him.
Yeah.
So, if you put $1,000 more...
that will become approximately good price for him.
He thinks he didn't make that much money.
Deal.
$11,000. $11,000.
All right?
NARRATOR: For $11,000 U.S.,
Ron's bought opals of the highest caliber,
and with Mac's help,
he negotiated a web of bureaucracy
to buy the best stones direct from the source.
RON: Ethiopia -- why those nasty old dusty roads?
Why that broken truck? Why walking down that mine?
Why the ill help? Why the bureaucracy?
Well, at the 12th hour, you did produce this.
You gave me your heart, and I'm gonna give you mine.
This is love at first sight.
NARRATOR: Ron's 2 pounds of high-grade Welo opal
will transform his $11,000 investment
into a $100,000 payday, his biggest profit yet.
I think this was, without question,
the best gem hunt we've ever, ever done.
Thank you, Ethiopia! You are a queen!