Boulder Opals, Official Gem Stone of Australia
"Opal is the stone of inspiration which enhances imagination and creativity due to its ability to help ideas flow freely."
Boulder Opals, Official Gem Stone of Australia
Boulder Opal

Only a small percentage of Opal which is mined, is considered of high enough quality to be set into jewelllery, Color Flash or Opal Fire are two terms that are used to describe the magical colour of Opal. The quality of color can mean the difference of tens of thousand of dollars.
Just as important to the price of Opal is the pattern on the stone, some patterns are so rare that they can easily double the price of the stone.
In Boulder Opal every polished stone will have its own unique identity due to its pattern.

A famous opal miner expression is “opal is where you find it”. It seems no matter if you’re a Geologist, an experienced opal miner, or relying on a trusty divining rod.
Finding thousands of boulders does not mean you will find opal in any. If you are lucky and open a boulder to discover fine opal gem, then appreciate and respect it. For it might be many, many years before you find some more.

Click here to view our Opal jewellery
Mining Boulder Opal
Firstly, when we mine in Queensland we are required to return the land back to the way it was after any mining (and we have to pay a bond).
Looking for Boulder Opals takes alot of time, money and energy. The Miners need to crack open the boulders to see if there is opal inside (Above)
20 Tonne excavators are used in most Boulder Opal mines as large quantaties of earth need to be moved to find the opal.

Test holes are drilled in the earth to 1) see if there is opal and to check the level, normally Boulders with opal are found near the clay level
In the red earth the Miners are looking for the boulders that hold the Opal.



