An Australian museum said today it would exhibit what it believes is the best opal stone ever found -- a 6.0-centimetre (2.4 inch) multi-coloured gem unearthed in the Outback named the Virgin Rainbow.

There’s a good chance you might not, because though their intricate appearance sets them apart from other gems, opals have fallen out of favour in fashion over the years. While they experienced ...

In the world of jewelry, opal inhabits a space reserved for few gems. It is classified as a “mineraloid” because it lacks crystal in its mineral makeup. It doesn’t sparkle or glitter, like most ...

GalleryItalian photographer Mattia Panunzio took his camera to Coober Pedy, an isolated village in South Australia, where men live in underground dugouts to get away from the extreme weather ...

A gemstone billed as one of the largest gem-quality opals in existence was sold for $183,000 ($143,750 US) at auction in Alaska on Sunday. The opal, dubbed the "Americus Australis," weighs more than ...

An Australian gemstone, billed as one of the largest gem-quality opals ever found, has sold for $US143,750 ($A200,000) at auction in Alaska.

A gemstone, billed as one of the largest gem-quality opals in existence, was sold for $143,750 at auction in Alaska on Sunday. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via ...

Unlike any other town known as a hole in the ground, Australia’s Coober Pedy really is a hole, and has two kinds of buried treasure. Unlike any other town known as a hole in the ground, Australia’s ...

The beautiful optical properties of the gemstone opal are the result of tiny amounts of uranium present when the stones were formed, say researchers in Australia. They claim that their work could lead ...