2" Fluorescent Hyalite Opal on Aquamarine Crystals - Namibia

Aquamarine is a blue-green variety of beryl. Oddly enough, it owes its color to iron(II) and iron(III) cations within the crystal lattice, of which iron(II) is responsible for the blue color, while iron(III) is responsible for the yellow color. The color vibrance and hue are dependent on the concentration of these cations, or lack of one or the other. The presence of both cations in the right position within the crystal lattice, can result in a deep blue colored crystal that is known as "maxixe".

About Hyalite Opal

Hyalite is a transparent to translucent variety of opal that commonly forms smooth, glassy globules or botryoidal coatings. An amorphous form of silica (SiO₂), hyalite is classified as a mineraloid and typically forms as a volcanic sublimate in volcanic or pegmatitic environments, where silica-rich vapors condense and solidify. It is also known as water opal, jalite, or Müller’s glass, named after its describer, Franz-Joseph Müller von Reichenstein.

One of hyalite’s most distinctive features is its intense fluorescence: under shortwave ultraviolet light, many specimens glow a vivid neon green. This striking effect is caused by trace amounts of uranium, present as uranyl ions, incorporated into the opal’s structure during formation. In normal lighting, hyalite often appears colorless and glass-like, making its dramatic UV response especially surprising and highly prized by mineral collectors.