The more you know what a real Opal looks like the easier it will be to buy a real one. Opal: Natural vs. However, there are some good ways to get a good idea about the real value of an opal by doing a little research and making some skilled inquiries of the jeweler selling the gem. ... Ethiopian Opal vs White Opal - …

Synthetic stones often appear glossy at the top. The first step is to know if your Opal is solid or is a doublet or triplet. Also, if you can see through the top of the opal from a side view, you are probably looking at a triplet.

This is because man-made stones are flattened in the course of processing to remove such irregularities. These are not completely fake Opal but rather a combination of both real opal & synthetic material to give the impression it is solid opal. Fake opals can be fairly difficult to identify because the varieties and types of real opals are so diverse. Most real opals are mined in Australia, which is the opal capital of the world. If you can, ask the advice of a Gemologist to help you or find an Opal expert. Is It Real or Fake? If your opal does not come from Australia then you should seriously suspect its validity.

Know what real opal looks like, and compare what you have seen to what you are buying. Lab. Russia and Hong Kong make high quality fake opals that some shady jewelers try to pass off as the real thing. If the top of the opal stone magnifies the aesthetics of the stone, it is likely to be real. Be educated before you buy. Triplets are capped with hard clear plastic or quartz, so the top of the opal reflects differently to that of natural opal. If the seam between the backing layer and the opal is irregular, it is most likely a real stone.

We will try to explain the best ways on how to identify fake Opal below. Originally stemming from the Sanskrit word “upalas” (meaning stone, jewel), then the Greek word “opallios” (meaning to see a change of color), the term we are familiar with today, “Opal”, has its roots in the Latin word “opalus”. Here is how opal doublets & opal triplets are constructed from a side on view: