A Study of Flash, Fire, and Phenomenal Color

“In precious opals there might be a dash of red here, a seductive swirl of blue there, and in the center, perhaps, a flirtatious glance of green. But each stone flickers with a unique fire and a good opal is one with an opinion of its own.”
- Victoria Finlay, British author

The above quote might be one of the best when it comes to describing the often-breath-taking presentation of various opal types. It stands to reason, too, considering that opal is deemed the Queen of Gemstones. With that being the case, this new, limited-edition column, Sneak Peek: Illustrious Opals, aims to showcase a myriad of opals, in all forms (rough, cut and polished, as lapidary art, and a few unusual modes as well), provided by the sponsors of Illustrious Opals.

This column is part of the new hybrid print/digital series, Illustrious Opals, developed by the Rock & Gem team. Each issue of Rock & Gem for the balance of 2020 will include this column, which is, as it states, a sneak peek at some of the examples of opals featured in the four-issue digital series, Illustrious Opals. Each digital issue contains features and columns about the science and history of opals, as well as information about opal discoveries, cutting and carving and working with opals, current news, auction results, and profiles of businesses serving those with interest in opals, to name a few elements. Plus, every issue is FREE until the end of 2020.