Why not take home a bespoke piece of jewellery from your stay on the Gold Coast. Located on Level One in Marina Mirage is Mariora Australia. Owned and operated in Australia since 1975, Mariora specialise in selected Australian solid natural opals, unique designs, crafted in 18-karat gold and platinum on the Gold Coast. 

Opal is without doubt one of nature’s most remarkable gifts. Called ‘The Rainbow Stone’ by Australia’s Aboriginal people, it is now recognised as one of the ten precious gemstones in the world, along with diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires. Opal is Australia’s national gemstone.

Those who mine opal, in one of the harshest environments imaginable, are attracted by the gem’s incredible ability to expose an infinite number of colours, forever moving with the light. The value of an opal depends on the amount and brilliance of the colour, ideally being evenly distributed across the face of the polished gem. The greater the spectrum of colours from red to violet, the better, with crimson, reds and orange being rarer than the greens and blues.

Ideally, the greater the number of colours, the more prized the gem, and if these are arranged in a block pattern, more value is added. The extremes are pin-sized dots of colour (pinfire) to one large sheet of colour (broadflash) covering the whole stone. The elusive ‘harlequin’ is the ultimate in this form but is very rare.

Shapes of the finished opal vary according to the characteristics of each stone. Boulder opal is usually cut in baroque or free form, whereas seam opal is at its best presented in cabochon (domed) form. Unique and intricate styling of the opals in gold and platinum, enhanced by top quality diamonds, allows Mariora’s collection to take its place at the highest level. Each creation is delicately engraved with the Mariora signature to symbolise quality and exclusivity.