Opal Butterfly

The Opal Butterfly is very special because the opals were sourced from mines in the U.S. The opals are from the Royal Peacock, the Bonanza, and the Rainbow Ridge mines in Virgin Valley, Nevada. The body of this butterfly has 9.76 carats of opal. The wings have a total weight of 20.41 carats. This butterfly highlights the diversity of bodycolor and play-of-color that opals can possess from this area. The butterfly is accented with 1.34 carats of diamonds in the eyes and wings. The 18k yellow gold Opal Butterfly is part of a collection of 18 jeweled butterfly brooches created and designed by Elvis "Buzz" Gray and Bernadine Johnston. The butterflies were gifted to the National Gem Collection by the Smithsonian Gem and Mineral Collectors.