Petrified Opalwood Necklace in Sterling Silver

This petrified opalwood from West Java, Indonesia has some of the most remarkable coloration I’ve come across in this material. The stone looks almost like a distant landscape, with luminous turquoise and green sweeping across the center in irregular layers of rust, brown and smoky blue beneath a dramatic expanse of deep black. The horizontal orientation really plays up that effect, giving the pattern room to stretch across the stone like a horizon.

I purchased a limited amount of this unusually colorful opalwood, and despite looking for more, I haven't been able to find material with this same combination of coloration and patterning again. Once I work through what I have, that will likely be it. That's part of what makes unusual lapidary material so compelling to me. Sometimes you find something extraordinary, and there simply isn't another parcel waiting to replace it.

Petrified wood is traditionally associated with grounding, stability, patience, and a connection to the natural world. Opal is often associated with creativity, inspiration, and individuality.

✧ Stone: Petrified opalwood from West Java, Indonesia, approximately 30 × 16 mm
✧ Metal: Sterling silver and fine silver
✧ Back: Textured sterling silver
✧ Chain: Sterling silver short-and-long oval link chain, patinaed and polished
✧ Length: 18 inches with a 2-inch extension chain, adjustable up to 20 inches
✧ Closure: Sterling silver lobster claw clasp

One-of-a-kind and made with care in my studio.