A barn painted with the U.S. flag is seen in the snow covered field in Kanawha, Iowa, United States, January 16, 2016. Iowa will be the first state to hold its primary, with both Democratic and Republican events being held February 1, 2016. (Photo by Jim Young/Reuters)

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.

In a new project, an international group of photographers have joined forces to use their powerful images to raise awareness and funds to help stop the illegal wildlife trade. Here: Fennec foxes are captured for the illegal pet trade. This three-month-old pup was for sale in a market in southern Tunisia. (Photo by Bruno D'Amicis/Photographers Against Wildlife Crime/Wildscreen/The Guardian)

Kashmiri children play with snow on a wooden foot bridge in the interiors of Dal Lake in Srinagar on January 16, 2017. A cold wave has further tightened its grip in Jammu and Kashmir, with most places in the state recording sub-zero temperatures. (Photo by Tauseef Mustafa/AFP Photo)

Dressed in folk costumes, young women decorate a tree with painted Easter eggs in Dombrad, Hungary, Monday, April 5, 2021. (Photo by Attila Balazs/MTI via AP Photo)

Machu Picchu, Peru. A llama’s-eye view of the legendary Inca settlement at Machu Picchu, isolated high in the Peruvian Andes. (Photo by Jim Turner/National Geographic)

Northern lights (Aurora borealis) glow brightly over an Inupiaq fish camp along the arctic coast in North Slope, Alaska. (Photo by Steven Kazlowski/Barcroft Media)