There is an endless bounty of eye-catching gemstones throughout the world and this spectacular boulder opal is one unique beauty that looks like a shimmering crystal encased in a tree fossil. Its opalescent sheen seeps through the cracks of the seemingly wooden rings in lustrous hues of emerald green and aqua blue. Like something out of a fairy tale, the triangular piece radiates through an organic pattern mimicking the growth rings of tree.

The artworks that Alexa Meade makes are very unique and original. A usual painter creates a 2D or a 3D drawing on flat 2D surface. Alexa, on the other hand, draws over the body of a regular person, making them look like a 2D painting. The pictures of these people are almost uncanny, as you realize that the eyes “paintings” are real, and suddenly it dawns upon you that you are seeing a living and breathing human being. It is weird how we perceive this world, and how easy it is to trick our brain into thinking that it’s seeing a two-dimensional object. (Photo by Alexa Meade)

An Afghan Hound in the grooming tent at the 147th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in Queens, NY on May 8, 2023. (Photo by Peter Fisher for The Washington Post)

Tam Nakano and Maika compete during the Women's Pro-Wrestling “Stardom” at Korakuen Hall on October 17, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

The erupting Litli-Hrútur volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland captured with a drone in the last decade of July 2023. (Photo by Elliot McGucken/Animal News Agency)

Dressed up participants run at the “Course de la Marmite” during the 46th Escalade Race (Course de l'Escalade) in Geneva, Switzerland, 07 December 2024. (Photo by Martial Trezzini/EPA/EFE)

Italian television presenter Diletta Leotta stunned in a bold black dress in the first decade of November 2025. (Photo by @DilettaLeotta/Instagram)

British rock band Bring Me The Horizon performs at the Reading Music Festival, England, Friday, August 27, 2022. (Photo by Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP Photo)