Re: synthetic/artificial opal

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: Sometime in the 1980s there was an article about making synthetic opal in a jar using simple ingredients; silica jel and feldspar powder (Bon Ami or Old Dutch cleanser, as I recall) : These were not hardened, however, just something cool to keep in a jar and admire. I have been searching my house for the magazine which I thought I had saved, ever since I found a : ready source of silica gel in the form of cat litter at local supermarkets (Fresh Step Crystals, Litter Pearls).I have not located it. It was a small rock hound type magazine, : not a slick lapidary journal. Does anyone else remember this article? The exact proportions? : : I'm going to do a follow-up to my own post here. I've been in contact with a number of people who are interested in opal synthesis. : : After a review of the patent and published literature on the subject, I've concluded that many details of opal "synthesis" are kept deliberately : : vague (big suprprise). Growing the monodispersed silica spheres for the opal turned out ot be the easiest part and I was able to make a : : beaker full on the first try. Hardening them is another matter entirely. There seem to be only a few types of hardened "opal" on the market: 1)plastic infiltrated : : 2) hot pressed (Gilson?) 3) zirconia reinforced sintered (Kyocera) and 4) silica gel reinforced and sintered (Russian and Japanese?). None of these : : methods exactly duplicates nature, but produce a marketable product. I hope to test some ideas I have on generating a more natural opal, but this : : will take a while since it is not what I do for a living (!). Anyone with additional information on synthetics is welcome to e-mail me. Thanks. : : Henry : : ........................... : : : I am interested in "synthetic" or "artificial" : : : opals (excluding the plastic impregnated ones and : : : "Slocum stone"). Besides the Gilson opals and : : : Kyocera "opals", does anyone know of any other : : : manufactured "opals". The Russians wrote a book on : : : creating opals, but I cannot read Russian, so I don't : : : know what they document, but I've heard that they sold : : : the process to a company in Japan. Can anyone who is : : : knowledgeable in this area clarifiy who exactly is : : : manufacturing opals. Thanks.

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