This 3.56ct gem quality Queensland opal is hand carved into an intricate sea shell and then hand carved again into one of a kind 14k yellow gold necklace bursting  with pink, orange, purple and green sapphires, rubies and diamonds. 

16” yellow gold solid barrel chain.

These hand carved opal shells and sea shapes come from Queensland, Australia and what makes them especially unique is how they are formed. In a very simple explanation, Australian opal forms over hundreds of millions of years when silica and other minerals dissolve in water and slowly solidify. In this particular area where these opals were mined, the silica solution occupied space where prehistoric tree branches were buried underground and as the wood decomposed, the opal solidified in its place- leaving an opalized replica — also called “jelly mold” fossils or pipe opal. The rough opal material then gets carved locally into these incredibly detailed sea shapes. Some opals in this collection may have encapsulated fossilized wood within the stone or on the back. You can think of these as the opals “thumbprint“ as each one is totally different from the next. It is a testament to the special and unique nature in which these opals have formed.