VANCOUVER, British Columbia - Deposits of opal, emerald, sapphire and rare blue beryl glow like rainbows across northern British Columbia and the Yukon and, slowly, people are starting to notice. "Until recently no one really looked for gemstones in B.C.," said Brian Grant, a geologist with the British Columbia Geological Survey. "People assumed they were only found in tropical places." Bob Yorke-Hardy, president of Okanagan Opal Inc., was looking for gold when he cracked open a rock and was nearly blinded by an eyeful of opal.