Talk:Miroid Monument/@comment-216.160.238.27-20121004135817/@comment-76.105.185.112-20121010034210

It's because not all opals are very shiny and diffract light as well as you see in jewelers' photos. Those photos are purposely well lit to show off the mineraloid's colourful capabilities. Opals come in a variety of formes. They can be clear or very pale and milky. It's just that opals are more commonly associated with the pale and milky colouration rather than the bright and reflective ones. Try image searching opals. More specifically try looking up light opals and semi-black opals that are taken with natural light instead of the lights that easily brighten the whole gem. They have that pale, milky background and are still capable of showing their trademark rainbow iridescence.