Australian Boulder Opal Necklace on Leather – Blue-Green Flash, Ironstone Matrix

This boulder opal is strung directly onto a black leather cord, with no metal setting between you and the stone. The teardrop-shaped piece keeps its natural ironstone backing, so warm rust-and-cream banding runs across the top before giving way to a pocket of blue-green colour play lower in the cabochon. Worn close to the neckline on an adjustable cord, it has a rougher, more elemental feel than a bezel-set pendant — a raw slice of opal-bearing rock rather than a polished stone in a frame. The leather keeps it casual enough for daily wear while the stone itself does the talking.

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
• Colour Play: Blue-green flashes across natural ironstone banding
• Shape: Freeform teardrop cabochon
• Setting: None — cord threaded directly through the stone
• Chain: Adjustable black leather cord
• Origin: Queensland, Australia (boulder opal fields)
• 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