Man-made Opals vs Natural Opals

Opal stones properties

If you are up to buying some opal gemstone jewelry then the danger is that you might come across man made simulants. Therefore it is of prime importance to learn how to distinguish the lab created opal stones from the earth mined ones, and even more so because the genuine opal stones are incredibly expensive. The opals are so popular because of several factors, but mostly due to their beautiful light patterns and interplay of color, which are produced by a physical phenomenon called light interference. Interference happens when the light that passes through the opal reflects or bends differently from the different micro particles of the stone, and sort of "combines" again only to produce fantastic color dance in our eyes. These tiny spheres within the opal stone are essentially made of silica, with some addition of water molecules.

Types of opal stones

Some types of opal gemstones are unbelievably rare. This is why they are expensive - the rarity always comes hand in hand with the price, a fact that we know well from the world of diamonds. When considering buying high quality opal jewelry, you should know that opals of gemstone quality are often as expensive as the most beautiful specimens from the cardinal four precious stones: diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphire stones. This is no reason to be discouraged, however, since there are other natural opals, like for example the white opals, which are comparatively less expensive. The other nuances of opals, and especially those stones often called black opals (although they are not really black, but darker than the others), are more expensive since they are are actually capable of producing the above mentioned light flashes.

Man made opals

Opals can also be produced in laboratory. The best lab created opals can successfully match many properties of the natural opals, since they are made from the same hydrated silica material. They can be considered approximately equivalent with their price only a fraction of the genuine opals. The other possibilities include modifying the earth mined opals to accentuate their color or optical properties, or even using some other stones of different composition to mimic this very popular stone. The simulants that only mimic the genuine opal gemstones are of course easily discernible , but lab created opals can pose a problem even to the gemologist. Therefore when selecting opal jewelry, be it opal rings, brooches, bracelets or pendants, and especially if you go for the high-priced design jewelry, try to find some reputable jewelry dealers, such are for example the American Gem Society (AGS) member stores.

Opal doublets and triplets

The other types of artificially assembled opals are frequently denoted as doublets and triplets. The doublet opals are very thin slices of opal stones glued on a black backing. This black background is not made out of opal; it is usually made from black onyx stones. The triplets are created similarly, but with an addition of transparent quartz cover. These opal alternatives can be relatively inexpensive but naturally the price depends on additional factors, as opal gemstones are often combined with diamonds, platinum and gold. Still they represent affordable alternatives without really having to give up on the glamor and brilliance that the more expensive gemstones offer.

Conclusions

In the past, these very particular and sensitive stones have been met with some negative feedback, in general because of superstition and ignorance, but today the popularity of these stones is rising. If you are not positive about your knowledge of opal stones and their specific gemology, then consider consulting an expert. The joy of possessing an opal gemstone in your jewelry collection is invaluable, but be sure you