Boulder Opal Necklace – Leather Cord, Square Cut, Blue & Violet Flash

This Boulder Opal is cut square with softly rounded corners and a gently domed, semi-curved face — a shape that lets the colour bar roll and catch light differently as the stone moves. Dark ironstone with gold-brown speckling sits across the top third of the stone, and beneath it colour breaks out in swirling bands of blue and violet, with a flash of green through the centre. The pattern reads almost like a small abstract landscape rather than a flat sheet of colour, which is what boulder opal cutters call a "picture stone." It's strung on a plain black leather cord, drilled straight through the stone with no metal bail, so nothing competes with the pattern itself.

About Boulder Opal

Boulder opal forms as veins of precious opal within ironstone matrix in the opal fields of Queensland — primarily Quilpie, Yowah and Winton. Unlike black opal from Lightning Ridge, the opal cannot be separated from its host rock; it's cut as a single solid piece, with the natural brown ironstone remaining as the stone's backing. This gives boulder opal its distinctive look — vivid colour against rich earth tones — and also makes it physically more durable than other opals, since the ironstone host is harder than the opal layer it carries.

Specifications

• Stone: Boulder Opal
• Shape: Square cabochon, semi-curved (domed) face
• Colour Play: Blue and violet dominant, with a flash of green through dark ironstone matrix
• Setting: Drilled through the stone and threaded directly onto the cord — no metal bail
• Chain: Black leather cord
• Origin: Queensland
• Availability: One-of-a-kind — 1 piece available

Caring for Your Opal

Opal is softer than diamond or sapphire, so a little care goes a long way. See Opal Care for storage, cleaning, and what to avoid.

Provenance

Hand-selected by Joseph Bernecki, sourced direct from the Australian opal fields and set in his Sydney workshop. Meet him any weekend at The Rocks Market, stall under the bridge, Sydney. Read Joseph's story →

Common Questions