What is a Winton Boulder Opal?
Winton Boulder Opal, a beautiful type of precious opal unique to Queensland, Australia, typically forms in ironstone. However, it can also be found in sandstone, known as Boulder Opal or Crystal Boulder Opal. Jewelers worldwide commonly use Boulder Opal in pendant necklace designs and rings. Boulder Opal exhibits diverse colors, from blues and greens to rainbows and reds, and can sometimes contain fossilized vegetation or wood, adding to its allure in jewelry design. Each piece of Boulder Opal is unique.
Where is Winton?
Winton is a very well known town for its amazing discoveries of precious boulder opals in Central Queensland. It is also the oldest of the Queensland Opal mines. When referring to Winton Boulder Opals, people may also include opals found in the Opalton mining region; a nearby region of opal fields to the town of Winton. The opal mining region of Winton covers a few hundred square kilometres.
Mining Boulder Opal in the Winton Region
In the Winton/Opalton region, typical open-cut mines use heavy machinery like bobcats and excavators to carve the harsh desert landscape. After discovering promising ironstone areas, miners use manual labor with pickaxes, followed by machine slicing, cutting, and polishing of the opal found into finished pieces like those on our website.
What is Boulder Opal Worth, and what is it typically used?
Boulder Opal is typically known as the most affordable of all the different types of opals. Can easily find affordable pieces of precious boulder opal for under $100. Some rarer pieces with bright colors can be valuable, up to a few thousand dollars.
Jewelers commonly use larger pieces of boulder opal in pendant necklace designs. It is not uncommon to see boulder opal pendants hanging on rope necklaces at markets worldwide. Jewelers also enjoy using smaller pieces in ringstone designs that strive for an earthy look and feel. Collectors and investors also enjoy purchasing rare boulder opal specimens that are often too big to set in jewelry. Our collection has several interesting, rare Boulder Opal Specimens for sale.
