Crossword Genius

Stone wall's bare, needing work on face (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

opal

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'stone' is the definition.
(gemstone)

'wall's bare needing work on face' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'work' could be 'op' (abbreviation for opus) and 'op' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'al' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for opal that I've seen before include "Milky white gemstone" , "One in a ring perhaps" , "Milky-white gemstone with flashes of colour" , "little jewel" , "Semi-precious stone of milky or bluish colour" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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