ABOUT OpalBar
OpalBar is a small family business that creates opal jewellery in their studio in the highlands behind Port Douglas, Australia. OpalBar do not mass produce, everything they create is made one piece at a time, so no two items are quite the same.
Ben Bloore has been a jewellery maker and opal cutter since 1992. The diverse patterns and colours of Queensland Boulder Opals has kept him interested and inspired. It is his opinion that Boulder Opal is the most magnificent gem mother nature has produced.
Once Ben mastered cutting and polishing Boulder Opals, he was finally able to make the original boulder opal jewellery he wanted to create. Taught by some of the best opal cutters in the industry and from the hands on experience of cutting thousands of Boulder Opals his final product are Boulder Opals set in modern and original designs using Australian Gold and Sterling Silver.
Three or four times a year Ben and his family travel to the opal fields through the central part of Queensland where they visit the mines and miners, often helping them dig the opals out of the ground. Some of the opals they have seen have been breathtaking.
Copyright OpalBar 2007 - Website By Kanaka Creative
"We take these opals, in their rough state, back to our workshop in the highlands behind Port Douglas, where we start the cutting process. We begin by slicing the boulders up into manageable sizes and examine where the opal runs. We then grind the rock away, slowly revealing either a layer of opal or an ironstone and opal pattern. Each piece is then sanded through 6 different sanding stages on diamond wheels and then polished. It is not until they are fully polished that the opals true potential is revealed. Each piece of jewellery is then individually handcrafted, using Australian Silver and Gold and Genuine Queensland Boulder Opal to form a stunning piece of wearable art."
The finished piece of OpalBar jewellery is both individual and unique. Having never left Australia they are a true reminder of the great continent that we live in.
The OpalBar collection of fine handcrafted boulder opal jewellery can be bought online and also at the weekend markets in Far North Queensland:
:: Saturdays - Cairns Esplanade Markets 8am-5pm
:: Sundays - Port Douglas Markets 8am-2pm
Mining for opals
"Over the years we have built a good relationship with various opal miners who are always saving interesting and amazing opal rocks for us. Each trip, we look forward to discovering the rough opal we can select from to work with, as only the most interesting opals are used for OpalBar creations." Said Ben
Ben at work in the studio