Crossword Genius

Love friend, providing a precious stone (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

opal

'a precious stone' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'love friend' is the wordplay.
'love' becomes 'o' (In tennis, 'love' means 'zero').
'friend' becomes 'pal' (pal is a kind of friend).
'o'+'pal'='OPAL'

'providing' is the link.

(Other definitions for opal that I've seen before include "Opaque gem" , "Opaque mineral used a gemstone" , "Jewellery item" , "Translucent gemstone" , "precious jewel" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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