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These were two exceptional opals I saw at the lapidary museum. The opal on the left is black opal and the one on the right is a white opal. Those terms are what is used in the gem industry. I found an opal and diamond ring in the dirt one day as a child while visiting my great aunt - I've loved them ever since and I still have the ring. Here's some additional information on opals from Wikipedia. "Opal is the national gemstone of Australia, which produces 97% of the world's supply. This includes the production of the state of South Australia, which accounts for approximately 80% of the world's supply. 90% is called 'light opal' or white and crystal opal. White makes up 60% of the opal productions but cannot be found in all of the opal fields. Crystal opal or pure hydrated silica makes up 30% of the opal produced, 8% is black and only 2% is boulder opal. The internal structure of precious opal makes it diffract light; depending on the conditions in which it formed, it can take on many colors. Precious opal ranges from clear through white, gray, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, magenta, rose, pink, slate, olive, brown, and black. Of these hues, the reds against black are the most rare, whereas white and greens are the most common. It varies in optical density from opaque to semi-transparent. In the Middle Ages, opal was considered a stone that could provide great luck because it was believed to possess all the virtues of each gemstone whose color was represented in the color spectrum of the opal. Following the publication of Sir Walter Scott's "Anne of Geierstein" in 1829, however, opal acquired a less auspicious reputation. In Scott's novel, the Baroness of Arnheim wears an opal talisman with supernatural powers. When a drop of holy water falls on the talisman, the opal turns into a colorless stone and the Baroness dies soon thereafter. Due to the popularity of Scott's novel, people began to associate opals with bad luck and death. Within a year of the publishing of Scott's novel in April 1829, the sale of opals in Europe dropped by 50%, and remained low for the next twenty years or so. Even as recently as the beginning of the 20th century, it was believed that when a Russian saw an opal among other goods offered for sale, he or she should not buy anything more since the opal was believed to embody the evil eye. Opal is considered the birthstone for people born in October or under the sign of Scorpio and Libra."