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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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Research
Books: Exotic Gems, Volume 3
Review of Exotic Gems, Vol. 3: How to Identify, Evaluate, Select and Care for Matrix Opal, Fire Agate, Blue Chalcedony, Rubellite Indicolite, Paraíba and Other Tourmalines, by Renee Newman.
Water Immersion Reveals Dye in Fire Opal
Ahmadjan Abduriyim Receives JAMS Award for Applied Mineralogy
Ahmadjan Abduriyim receives 2021 JAMS award for his contributions to applied mineralogy.
Opal from Queretaro, Mexico: Occurrence and Inclusions
An examination of play-of-color opal from Mexico and its variety of inclusions.
UV-Reactive Opal
The first documented UV-reactive chemical treatment to make opal appear tenebrescent.
Large Oolitic Opal Block
The natural-color oolitic opal is the largest of its type examined by GIA.
Written Characters in Black Opal
Play-of-color patches in black opal display interesting written character patterns.
Social Media Success for Black Opal Direct
Black Opal Direct’s use of social media increases sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Green Opal From East Africa
2015 Sinkankas Symposium
Opal was the focus of the April 2015 Sinkankas Symposium at GIA’s Carlsbad, California campus.
New Deposits of Gem-Quality Common Opal from Michoacán, Mexico
Material from a new opal deposit in Morelia, Mexico is examined.
Chrysoprase and Prase Opal from Haneti, Central Tanzania
Commercial quantities of gem-quality chrysoprase and green prase opal (nickel-bearing chalcedony and common opal, respectively) have been recovered from altered serpentinite deposits near Haneti, Tanzania.
