Jeff Dekofsky: The most colorful gemstones on Earth

The most colorful gemstones on Earth

In November 1986, Australian miners climbed Lunatic Hill and bored 20 meters into the Earth. They were rewarded with a fist-sized, record breaking gemstone, which they named the Hailey's Comet opal. Thanks to a characteristic called "play of color," no two opals look the same. So what causes these vibrant displays? Jeff Dekofsky digs into the rock's shimmering, dancing displays of light. [Directed by Ivana Bošnjak and Thomas Johnson, narrated by Jack Cutmore-Scott, music by Salil Bhayani].

Opals are unlike any other gemstone because each one displays a unique, mesmerizing play of color. This phenomenon, seen in the record-breaking Halley’s Comet opal discovered 20 meters beneath Lunatic Hill, is created by millions of tiny silica spheres that form deep underground over millions of years. The way these spheres align allows light to dance in shifting patterns, making every opal different. Their rarity is heightened by the precise geological conditions needed for their formation, with 95% of precious opals found only in Australia.