{{Short description|Trade name for opal and moonstone simulants}} {{For|the song|Opalite (song)}} {{distinguish|Ophiolite}} {{More citations needed|date=February 2026}} [[File:10-20MM Tumble Polished Opalite.jpg|thumb|10–20 mm pieces of tumble-polished opalite, an artificial glass]] '''Opalite''' is a trade name for synthetic opalescent glass and various opal and moonstone simulants. Other names for this glass product include ''argenon'', ''sea opal'', ''opal moonstone'', and other similar names.<ref name=Mindat/><ref>{{cite book |last=Eckert|first=Allan W. |year=1997 |title=The World of Opals |location=New York |publisher=John Wiley and Sons |pages=107–08 |isbn=978-0-471-13397-1}}</ref> It is also used to promote impure varieties of variously colored common opal.<ref name=Mindat>{{Mindat |id=5984 |name= Opalite}}</ref>
Natural opalite (as opposed to the man-made opalite) shares the same basic chemical properties as opal. It is made of tiny spheres of silicon dioxide, which stack onto each other in a pyramid grid shape. This grid is what allows the cat's-eye effect to be displayed when the stone is cut into a ball.
When opalite glass is placed against a dark background, it appears to have a blue color. When placed against a light background, it is milky white with an orange or pink glow. Since it is glass, it may sometimes contain air bubbles, an after-effect of the forming process.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}
==Usages==
Opalite is mainly used as a decorative stone and is usually sold either tumble polished or carved into decorative objects. Some sellers will sell opalite as opal or moonstone.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
== References == {{reflist}}
Category:Synthetic minerals Category:Opals
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