4x6 mm Dendritic Opal Table Cut Corner Drilled Cube - 15-16 Inch birthstone_turquoise if desired

if desired

This stone is composed of angular fragments of minerals

in a variety of swirling and linear patterns

although sometimes mistaken for Jasper

It won 1st price and has been used ever since in sculpture

4x6 mm Dendritic Opal Table Cut Corner Drilled Cube - 15-16 Inch birthstone_turquoise if desiredThis variety of opal is named "dendritic" for the small inclusions within it that resemble moss or ferns. These inclusions consist of iron, manganese and other metallic oxides captured during the forming of the rock. Opals are hydrated amorphous forms of silica, created when silica hardens within the fissures of other stones.