Oldies but goodies - Opal and opalite

I have always loved opals. When I looked at pictures of opals as an introduction to this post, I was ready to sit down in a corner and whimper. The colors, the varieties, the COLORS!
Black opal, jelly opal, milk opal, blue opal, pink opal, fire opal, boulder opals ... these are just names that really don't do much to conjure images of what that really means.
I remember getting a pair of opal earrings for Christmas that I had practically begged for when I was 18. I was so disappointed that one of them only showed a very small speck of color. For me opal was all about the ... oh wait, I had already mentioned that, I think ... colors.
Little did I know then about how spectacular opals could really be. Learn more about them here in this link.

To make this week's Oldies but Goodies Challenge at the Jewelry Artisans Community easier for the members, not only opal pieces were allowed, however.
In the collage you will also find opalites. Can you tell what is what? Don't forget you can click the picture to enlarge it a little.

1 RioRita
2 MC Stoneworks
3 Cat's Wire
4 Jewelry Art by Dawn
5 Violetmoon's Corner
6 Robins's Jewelry, Antiques, & Collectibles

P.S. Google "Virgin Rainbow opal" and read the story of that gorgeous rare opal. I wish there were more pictures to find, though. I saw it in a documentation and it absolutely blew me away! You are welcome to buy it for me, my birthday is coming up in June, you know ....