Boulder opal beads are very popular especially 8-12 mm sizes. Opal beads are mainly from boulder opal fields or matrix opal as opal has to be cut in block first than on lapidary equipment to shape opal round and laser to drill hole. Boulder opal rough with veins are good for making beads. It is hard to get full colour beads .Boulder opal beads have natural look and blend in good with other gemstone beads Source your Boulder opalbeads direct from opal miners and opal wholesalers and dealers for your single gem opalbead or parcel boulder opal beads from Quilpie or Winton Australia The boulder opal miners hold their annual opal show in winton in 1st week July. Boulder opal is unique only to Queensland. It only occurs in deposits in weathered sedimentary Cretaceous rocks in the west of the state of Qld . The Term Matrix opal is where the opal occurs as a network of veins or infilling of voids or between grains of the host rock (ferruginous sandstone or ironstone) Opalised wood and pipe opal is occasionally found also Large opal mines often have several bulldozers over large opal leases and partake in extensive exploration for new opal mining fileds Boulder opals are mostly shaped freeform and have colours formed on sandstone or ironstone backs so boulder opal is considered very stable.also found as pipe opal or matrix opal