opalite

thumb|10–20 mm pieces of tumble finishing|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. It is also used to promote impure varieties of variously colored common opal.

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.