Gilson stone

Description

The first imitation Opal was made by Pierre Gilson in the 1960s and first marketed in 1974. Gilson stone, as well as most other synthetic opals, contain an underlying honeycomb pattern that can be through a microscope. The stones can produce a full spectrum of colors.

Synonyms and Related Terms

imitation opal

Resources and Citations

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal (accessed Oct. 12, 2005)

• Michael O'Donoghue and Louise Joyner, Identification of Gemstones, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, 2003