Rare Opal Contains Trapped Insect

RAPAPORT... This story has legs: AUS jeweler has obtained a colorful opal featuring an encased insect. The rare stone originates from Java, Indonesia, andfeatures a well-preserved invertebrate, apparently with its mouth still open. Lookingclosely, one can even see thin fibers extending from the limbs, noted Philadelphia-basedgemologist Brian Berger, who recently acquired the gem. The phenomenon is much more common in amber, as insects areattracted to tree sap, and become stuck when the fluid hardens into a solidresin. Berger's stone may have originally been amber that later turned into opal, he posited. "As conditions changed for the amber specimen, it is likelythe amber opalized, preserving the inclusion - in this case, an insect," hetold Rapaport News. The Gemological Institute of America said it was the onlyopal of its kind it had ever examined, Berger claimed. "This is truly anexciting and extremely rare...find," he said.Image: The opal with encased insect. (Brian Berger/Timberbrook Capital).