BANDED OPAQUE SWIRLS

Banded Opaque Swirls can have either an opaque or translucent base, usually white, with stretched bands or strands of color on the surface. Colored glass base examples are rare and therefore more valuable. The surface colors may stretch from pontil to pontil or may be found in discontinuous "end of day" streaks. Sometimes there will only be one color, though multiple color specimens occur and may even give the marble a multicolored "Josephs Coat" appearance.

The Lightning Strike is a specialized type of Banded Opaque Swirl that is extremely rare. On these, the surface colors go around the equator (perpendicular to the usual trajectory) and often form "lightning-shaped" streaks.