How do you tell the difference between synthetic Australian opals and nautural Australian opals?

Answer 1

To someone not familiar with Australian doublet and triplet opals, it would be difficult to tell the difference between them and solid opals when the stones have been set.

Some of the ways to tell the difference are:

• The price - doublets and triplets are much less expensive than similar solid stones;
• Doublets have a thin slice of opal mounted on a black backing. If you can see the underside of the stone in the setting, you can tell whether it is a "black backing" or the stone;
• Triplets have a clear quartz cap on top of the opal in addition to the black backing. With a magnifying glass or incredible eyesight, you can see the thin clear layer on top of the stone.

Jewelry with doublet and triplet opals has the same appearance as a solid opal. It's possible to find jewelry with amazingly brilliant colors at a reasonably affordable price when the stone is set as a doublet or triplet.

Answer 2

Synthetic Australian opals are created in a lab and often display more vibrant colors with a regular pattern. Natural Australian opals are formed through natural processes and may display unique patterns and colors with more imperfections such as cracks or inclusions. To determine the difference, you can have a gemologist examine the opal using specialized instruments or look for telltale signs of synthetic production, such as uniform color distribution.