Opal Fossils

One of nature's rarest treasures — ancient marine creatures whose shells, bones, and bodies have been replaced by precious opal over more than 100 million years. Opal fossils are found in only a handful of locations worldwide, and Australia's Coober Pedy region produces the finest and most spectacular specimens on earth.

During the Cretaceous period, a vast inland sea covered much of central Australia. Marine creatures of all kinds lived and died in that sea. As it retreated over millions of years, silica-rich groundwater percolated through the sediments, replacing organic material molecule by molecule with precious opal. The result: the exact shape and structure of living creatures, preserved in one of the world's most beautiful gemstones.

Our fossil opal collection includes opalised belemnite squid — torpedo-shaped cephalopods related to modern squid, extinct for 65 million years — and opalised sea shells, each one a complete natural history specimen and a remarkable gemstone simultaneously. Every piece is hand-cut by Iona, a Certified Opal Specialist, and is completely one-of-a-kind. A genuine piece of natural history, millions of years in the making.