Earth strengthens and supports, and Water creates as it flows. The Earth of the Ironstone, combined with the Water of the hydrated silicon dioxide, blend the powers of these two important Elements. The unique properties of color and light in each stone play off the depth and strength of the Ironstone matrix, creating a wonderful sense of balance. In today's world, as a metaphysical stone, the beauty and subtle intensity of Boulder Opal has no parallel.
Eastern people regarded it as sacred, and Arabs believed it fell from heaven. The early Greeks thought that opals gave their owners the powers of foresight and prophecy, and the Romans adored it as a token of hope and purity. Opal's name evolved from the Roman word "opalus" which was taken from the Greek word "opallios", meaning "to see a change of color." The Greek word was a modification of the ancient Indian Sanskrit name for opal, "upala", which meant "precious stone." They are most often cut into low domes, or flat cabochons, but the final shape truly depends on the thickness of the opal's color bar. The play of color in Opal is the result of the diffraction of light by the spheres and the spaces in between them.īoulder opals are mostly found in free-form shapes and slabs that maximize and preserve the weight of the precious opal strip. This hydrated silicon dioxide, with a high water content and an amorphous crystal structure, is composed of an arrangement of very small silica spheres. The ironstone matrix enhances the stones durability and vibrancy of color, often increasing the desirable effects of 'play of color' and 'opalescence'. This solution hardened in underground cavities and fissures where temperature and pressure fused it into the Ironstone. Almost all boulder opal available today is from Western Queensland's opal-rich fields, confined to an area of about 200 to 300 square kilometers.īoulder Opal was formed millions of years ago from a solution of silica from decomposing rocks mixed with water flowed into seams, cracks, and cavities into a type of sandstone known as Ironstone. Boulder opal was first discovered in Quilpe, Western Australia, around the year 1870.
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