Definition: a collectors nickname for stones made of glass mixed with metals to induce a bi-color effect ranging from red to blue with an overall bright blue or purplish cast; flashes of color from within the stone are known as the "breath" from which the name is derived; first used in jewelry in the early 1900s to simulate fire/jelly opals; very often set in silver, sometimes of Mexican origin; these are most often cabochons in round or oval shapes which are unfoiled and transparent, but some faceted examples were used in mid-century costume jewelry; often represented as jelly opals or fire opals in error as those are natural semi-precious gemstones rather than manufactured glass, but describing them as Mexican opal glass (as found on vintage packaging) stones is less misleading
Also Known As: Mexican opal glass; jelly opal or fire opal (erroneously - see above)
Examples:
Janie read the seller's description of the ring and shook her head, knowing the stone represented as a jelly opal was actually a Dragon's Breath stone made of glass.
