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Opal
Fireworks. Jellyfish. Galaxies. Lightning. Opal's shifting play of kaleidoscopic colors is unlike any other gem.
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Opals from Opal Butte, Oregon
Recent mining at Opal Butte in northeastern Oregon has produced a wide variety of large flawless opals.
Gemstone Durability: Design to Display
Summer 1986 G&G Lab Notes
Opal History and Lore
Writers have compared opals to volcanoes, galaxies, and fireworks. Admirers gave extraordinary opals poetic names like Pandora, Light of the World, and Empress.
Opal Description
Opal is known for its unique display of flashing rainbow colors called play-of-color. There are two broad classes of opal: precious and common. Precious opal displays play-of-color, common opal does not.
Abstracts; Winter 1991
This article, from the Winter 1991 issue of Gems & Gemology, is a compilation of abstracts of important gemology-related articles published outside of Gems & Gemology.
Opal Care and Cleaning Guide
Learn about opal's durability and how to care for your opal jewelry.
Opal Quality Factors
Individual opals are as diverse as snowflakes or fingerprints and can vary widely in appearance and quality. Learn about the factors that make opals so desirable!
Chrysoprase and Prase Opal from Haneti, Central Tanzania
Winter 2011 G&G Lab Notes
