Australian Boulder Opal Specimen – Polished, Blue-Green Colour Play

This boulder opal specimen carries a vivid seam of blue-green colour play winding through its smoothly polished ironstone body. Mined in western Queensland, the fire runs along the natural fracture lines of the host rock, flashing turquoise and green as the light catches it from different angles. The rich chocolate-brown ironstone matrix has been shaped and polished to a high gloss, giving the piece a tactile, sculptural quality that reads as much as a piece of natural art as a gemstone specimen.

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
• Form: Polished specimen
• Size:  70 X 70 X 45 MM
• Matrix: Ironstone
• Colour Play: Blue-green
• Origin: Western Queensland, Australia
• Availability: One-of-a-kind — 1 piece available

Caring for Your Opal Specimen

Boulder opal ironstone backing makes it more knock-resistant than other opal types, but it's still a natural stone and deserves care. Handle it gently, keep it somewhere stable where it won't be bumped or dropped, and avoid sudden changes in temperature — like moving it straight from a cold car into a warm room. A soft, dry cloth is all that's needed to keep it dust-free.

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