Discover the
Wonders of Opal
Opal is Australia’s official national gemstone.
Opal is believed to be more that 100 million years old. Its genesis is Australia’s great artisan basin, an ancient inland sea that lies below the now Opal bearing areas of South Australia, NSW & Queensland where silica rich water settled over the Millennia eventually forming Opal.
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The vast majority of Opal is colourless and referred to as potch, for Opal to have a play of colour its silica spheres need to be small and uniform. Blue is the most common colour due to the larger size of the spheres whereas the most valuable Red has the smallest spheres hence the highest value.
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South Australia possesses the fields of s Coober Pedy, Mintabie & Andamooka. Coober Pedy produces the most opal of any field and is famous for White & Crystal Opal.
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Queensland fields include Koroit, Winton, Yowah and Opalton. QLD fields produce boulder opal which has uniquely formed in hard ironstone and can be stunningly beautiful with unique patterns and second only in value to Lighting Ridge Black Opal.
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NSW has White Cliffs & Lightning Ridge. The Ridge and surrounding areas are where the majority of rarest and most valuable Black Opal is found and where we regularly source Opal rough from our legendary Aussie Opal miners.
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Opal's value is based on its natural beauty & genuine rarity, unlike other minerals such as diamonds it’s completely based on supply and demand.
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Opal is considered by many astute judges to be a fabulous investment being a finite resource that’s becoming increasingly difficult to source for a number of reasons including Indigenous hand backs, red & green tape & most of all finding brave Aussie’s prepared to risk life and limb, in many cases live completely off grid for the small chance of striking it lucky.
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It’s a popular misconception that you can’t get Aussie Opal wet, hot or cold. There are Opals that come from other countries such as Ethiopia that are Volcanic & Hydrophane. These Opals will become transparent when immersed in water and are notoriously unstable whereas Australian Opal is very stable and can be wet without any issues.
Discover the
Wonders of Opal
Masters of Australian Opal Craftsmanship.
At Walkabout our passion is Australian Opal. We are Jewellers & Opal Cutters with over 35 years experience specialising in wholesale Australian Opal.
Our master jeweller & opal cutter Brenden Wade regularly visits the Opal fields where he connects with his long standing network of Opal miners sourcing rough opal as it comes from the earth where is has been for more than 100 million years waiting to be found.
We offer Opal rough, rubs, finished gemstones & bespoke jewellery pieces to the market at wholesale pricing. We are proudly members of the JAA (Jewellers Association of Australia) meaning you can buy from us with absolute confidence. We offer a money back guarantee on all online purchases. We are always looking to develop long term mutually beneficial relationships and will go the extra mile to satisfy our valued customers.
We are based on Australia’s iconic Gold Coast but regularly send Opal all over Australia, North America, Europe & the World. If you have a specific gem or jewelley piece in mind simply get in touch and together we will bring your vision to life.
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Opal is Australia’s official national gemstone.
Opal is believed to be more that 100 million years old. Its genesis is Australia’s great artisan basin, an ancient inland sea that lies below the now Opal bearing areas of South Australia, NSW & Queensland where silica rich water settled over the Millennia eventually forming Opal.
-
The vast majority of Opal is colourless and referred to as potch, for Opal to have a play of colour its silica spheres need to be small and uniform. Blue is the most common colour due to the larger size of the spheres whereas the most valuable Red has the smallest spheres hence the highest value.
-
South Australia possesses the fields of s Coober Pedy, Mintabie & Andamooka. Coober Pedy produces the most opal of any field and is famous for White & Crystal Opal.
-
Queensland fields include Koroit, Winton, Yowah and Opalton. QLD fields produce boulder opal which has uniquely formed in hard ironstone and can be stunningly beautiful with unique patterns and second only in value to Lighting Ridge Black Opal.
-
NSW has White Cliffs & Lightning Ridge. The Ridge and surrounding areas are where the majority of rarest and most valuable Black Opal is found and where we regularly source Opal rough from our legendary Aussie Opal miners.
-
Opal's value is based on its natural beauty & genuine rarity, unlike other minerals such as diamonds it’s completely based on supply and demand.
-
Opal is considered by many astute judges to be a fabulous investment being a finite resource that’s becoming increasingly difficult to source for a number of reasons including Indigenous hand backs, red & green tape & most of all finding brave Aussie’s prepared to risk life and limb, in many cases live completely off grid for the small chance of striking it lucky.
-
It’s a popular misconception that you can’t get Aussie Opal wet, hot or cold. There are Opals that come from other countries such as Ethiopia that are Volcanic & Hydrophane. These Opals will become transparent when immersed in water and are notoriously unstable whereas Australian Opal is very stable and can be wet without any issues.
Masters of Australian Opal Craftsmanship.
At Walkabout our passion is Australian Opal. We are Jewellers & Opal Cutters with over 35 years experience specialising in wholesale Australian Opal.
Our master jeweller & opal cutter Brenden Wade regularly visits the Opal fields where he connects with his long standing network of Opal miners sourcing rough opal as it comes from the earth where is has been for more than 100 million years waiting to be found.
We offer Opal rough, rubs, finished gemstones & bespoke jewellery pieces to the market at wholesale pricing. We are proudly members of the JAA (Jewellers Association of Australia) meaning you can buy from us with absolute confidence. We offer a money back guarantee on all online purchases. We are always looking to develop long term mutually beneficial relationships and will go the extra mile to satisfy our valued customers.
We are based on Australia’s iconic Gold Coast but regularly send Opal all over Australia, North America, Europe & the World. If you have a specific gem or jewelley piece in mind simply get in touch and together we will bring your vision to life.