Opaque Jewelry Is So Of-the-Moment

By Brittany Siminitz | January 22, 2025

If you haven’t noticed, opaque gems are having quite the renaissance.

They may have last rode a popularity wave in 2018 (not so long ago, yet ages ago), when our Amy Elliott named malachite and pink opal among the year’s hottest gems. More recently, we reported in late 2023 that moss agate apparently had become a favorite of Gen Z. And just this past fall, Pomellato reimagined a classic collection using such gemstones as tiger’s eye, turquoise, and black marble.

We love translucent and faceted gems for all their depth, sparkle, and style, but opaque stones—lapis lazuli, turquoise, jade, malachite, tiger’s eye, apatite, carnelian, jasper, labradorite, the list could go on—are intriguing. And they may not be well known to many jewelry lovers in the mood for something new (to them).

Some opaque stones have intriguing backstories. Malachite, according to GIA, is toxic if inhaled or ingested, but in polished form (for jewelry), it’s completely safe. With a green that rivals Oz, malachite was popularity in home goods a while back, probably for its groovy-looking bands and succulent hue.

Or take jade. Though it’s not particularly hard, registering between 6 and 7 on the Mohs scale, it is tough as nails and was often used to craft weapons in Neolithic times.

One could delight customers with all manner of fun facts like these, but a picture—or even better, the jewel itself—is worth a thousand words. The finds pictured below just might leave clients speechless.