This one of a kind and incredibly rare object is an opalized cicada shell synthesized in my lab. This piece was created by coating a cicada shell in silica nanoparticles roughly 300nm in diameter. Those particles were then left to slowly aggregate and form a light diffracting cubic lattice across the body of the insect over the course of 18 months. The lab gown opal that coats the cicada is chemically and compositionally identical to naturally occurring precious opal. The color of the opal and surface of the exoskeleton flash different colors depending on the angle of light and the angle at which you view the piece. The coating/ pockets of opal possess every color in the visible spectrum including the rare and hard to produce “reds”. There is an entire microscopic universe to explore on this piece as different pockets of opal formed or oriented themselves across the insect. This one of the only synthetically opalized insects in the world and an incredibly rare one of a kind art piece. The images below show the flashes of color from different angles. This piece will be shipped in a jar containing silicone oil and it’s not recommended that the piece is removed unless absolutely necessary. If you decide to display it in a separate or different container I will send an adequate amount of silicone oil to fill its new home.