Australian Opals

We have lots of Australian opal jewelry at the store, and we love the range of color it displays. Its a very special stone that can display any color in the spectrum. Here we favor enjoy using it all, and carefully choose which stone will look best set in the piece its going on.

Opal is found in many places, including the United States, but 90% of the supply comes from Australia. Of that 2% is boulder opal, making it the most prized and expensive. The pendant above, below is an example of boulder opal. We have two pendants in stock using boulder each with a nice weight and depth that is different then the shiny iridescent varieties you normally encounter.

The bright, shiny pieces of opal in most jewelry are thin sheets that have been overlayed on top of potch opal or another material. This achieves that bright iridescence you commonly see at an affordable price. Currently most of our inventory consists of overlayed opal jewelry, and they really capture attention. Its tough to capture the layers of color in a picture, but the example at the top is an overlayed piece we currently stock.

When choosing opal and opal jewelry you want to look for depth of color. Flashes of red that seem to dance underneath the surface would be an example. The best specimens can be light or dark, but they will all have a depth of color to them that sets them apart. We hope you enjoy opal in all its forms and find some room in your collection for this beautiful stone.