What is the difference between a synthetic opal, a lab created opal and a natural opal? What is the best?

Question

What is the difference between a synthetic opal, a lab created opal and a natural opal? What is the best?

Answer 1

Lab created gems are the same CHEMICALLLY ARRANGED ATOMS stones as those made by nature. That makes lab grown stones 'REAL' In most cases the only difference is that we make them better than nature does or not as good as nature--no in between--and that makes it generally easy to tell the differents between natural made stones and those made in a lab. Whether nature made them or man made them---both are the 'real' gems. We have not learned to duplicate nature in the crystalization process although in some cases come almost so close it becomes very difficult to tell the natural stones from the lab grown ones.



One of the advantages of having lab grown stones is that they can generally be made as large as one wishes.Thus you could have 500kt pigeon blood Ruby that is lab grown that in nature would be worth over a million dollars. Lab grown stones have been being made since the 19th century but todays stones are of far better quality and nearer to the way nature made them than they were in great -great grandpa's day. Today and since 1956; we now can have lab grown diamonds---of gem quality of all colors---that are still on the pricey side because the process has not been refined enough for the lab made stones to consistently as fine gem quality. That said---one could buy a lab grown gem 'real' diamond of 300kt much less than the same stone made by nature. The lab made diamonds imitate nature in the way that they are made under extremes of pressures.

Answer 2

synthetic is made in a lab. I really like real opals better because they look more real, but other than that there is nothing wrong with the synthetic ones. In the lab they make the opal the same way that it is made in the earth except they speed the process up - by a lot. Thats why the lab ones dont look as real, they just cant get the same look in such a short time.

The lab ones are almost as hard as the real ones so they should last about the same. It can be better to buy a lab created one just so less is being taken from the earth, but you do get what you pay for.

Here is a really good sight with awesome information on how opals are made, used and distributed and shows comparisons of the real to the synthetic.



http://www.synthetic-opal.com/

Answer 3

Natural Opal Rings

Answer 4

RE:

What is the difference between a synthetic opal, a lab created opal and a natural opal? What is the best?

I am looking into opal jewelry, but I am a little confused. I have been trying to read about the differences and its a little fuzzy and all the sites say something different jewelry stores are also no help so far. A have a few different questions about them.



1.) Is a lab created opal and...

Answer 5

One's a rock ones a manmade rock.



It's going to have an asterik beside it.

Answer 6

There are several types of opals so I listed the three you asked about and two additional types, Black and Crystal Opals.



Synthetic opals



Are artificially made and although their structure is very similar to the structure of precious opals, their value is (from obvious reasons) much less than the value of the real “thing”.



Synthetic opals usually display a very distinctive snakeskin pattern and they show brighter colors than natural opals. The spots of color are larger but they interact with light in a very similar way to natural opals. They also contain a fair amount of silica (usually around 70-75%) which is impregnated with plastic. Synthetic Opals look good and appeal to some but cant replace what Mother Nature creates



Boulder/ Natural Opal



This type of opals are not as known and valued as black opals but their stunning appearance and in many cases dramatic combination of vibrant colors makes boulder opals eye catchers and puts them on the list as a second most valuable and sought after type of opals. Boulder opals are formed in cracks of ironstone boulders. They are found only in the state of Queensland, Australia.



Because boulder opals are very thin, they have to be cut out together with the ironstone on the back. This attachment gives them dark body tone and appearance very similar to black opals.



At a first glance, boulder opals also might be mistaken for a doublet. The main difference is that the backing on boulder opals is completely natural.





Lab Grown or Lab Created Opal



These terms generally refer to polymer-impregnated opals, which are 70-90% silica (from which natural opal is formed) and 10-30% resin. Lab created opals exhibit fire play resembling the finest opal at a small fraction of the cost.



Black opals



Are the rarest and at the same time the most beautiful of all types of opals. If the opal is “Queen of Gems” than the black, opal is certainly “King of Queens”. No wonder black opals are also the most expensive and sought after type of opals. For people buying opals as a good, solid, long-term investment, black opals are definitively the ones to go for



Their unique, elegant and most of the times breathtaking appearance comes from their dark body color. The color can range from dark grey to deep black and it is a direct result of carbon and iron oxide trace elements, which are naturally incorporated into black opal’s structure.



Crystal opal



Is a term used in relation to any type of opal with a transparent or semi transparent body? They display their colors in the same way as the other types of opals but the transparency of their body gives them a different and unique appearance that many people find more appealing. Good quality crystal opal is not as valuable as black opal but its price is usually very close to the price of boulder/natural opals.