Is this opal real or man made?

[MomInstyle]

I recently got purchased this ring locally Preowned. I haven’t resize to wear it. I like the setting and the diamonds are naturals. I don’t know if the opal real or not. Of course, I know nothing about color gemstones. I spend past 3 evening reading about opals and still clueless.

Could any opal expert friends help me identify this opal? I would greatly appreciated it. Here are a few pics taken night indoor lighting.

 

[Bluegemz]

That looks like a natural opal to me. My guess would be Australian. Really pretty!

 

[T L]

Synthetic opals these days can be very convincing, so a gemologist would know for sure, but in all likelihood it’s probably natural. It’s a lovely ring.

 

[chrono]

Can you please show the underside of the setting so we can see the bottom of the opal?

 

[ilovegemstones]

It looks like an natural Australian opal to me also! Gorgeous stone!

 

[MomInstyle]

Can you please show the underside of the setting so we can see the bottom of the opal?

 

[MomInstyle]

I just added more pics of the daylight. It sure reflects differently than night time.

 

[MomInstyle]

That looks like a natural opal to me. My guess would be Australian. Really pretty!

Thank you for taking the time to look at my ring and sharing your opinions.

How does Australian opal quality compare to other type of opals? What does opals value based on?

 

[chrono]

What I’m trying to see is the underside of the opal, which I can’t in your pictures. Is the back totally enclosed or can you see the opal?

 

[MomInstyle]

What I’m trying to see is the underside of the opal, which I can’t in your pictures. Is the back totally enclosed or can you see the opal?

It’s totally enclosed so I cannot see the backside of the opal. Enclosed by a piece of metal.

 

[chrono]

That’s not a good sign.

 

[Rfisher]

Does a side view of the cab show it to be a doublet or a triplet?

Do you have a UV light handy?
I **think** if it glows orange or pinkish its suspect to man made?

If it turns out to not be natural at all - they've come a long way in mfg process of the size/shape/randomness of the color flash.

 

[MomInstyle]

Does a side view of the cab show it to be a doublet or a triplet?

Do you have a UV light handy?
I **think** if it glows orange or pinkish its suspect to man made?

If it turns out to not be natural at all - they've come a long way in mfg process of the size/shape/randomness of the color flash.

I don't have a UV light. Would at UV light at the nail shop (drying gel nail polish) work?

Since I need a new battery for my watch. I am going to swing a local small jewelry repair person take a look at the ring.

 

[lambskin]

The ring is very pretty. I can not opine as to the authenticity of the opal at issue. But, FWIW, I have seen some amazing fake opals set in sterling pendants and rings at TJMaxx, Ross and Marshalls. They are small and look more like crystal than black opals. It was really hard for me to tell and I have been an opal fan for over 50 years -the fakes have really improved leaps and bounds. I never miss an opportunity to look and learn about opals and I would now want some sort of guarantee or reputable certificate before buying.

 

[T L]

The ring is very pretty. I can not opine as to the authenticity of the opal at issue. But, FWIW, I have seen some amazing fake opals set in sterling pendants and rings at TJMaxx, Ross and Marshalls. They are small and look more like crystal than black opals. It was really hard for me to tell and I have been an opal fan for over 50 years -the fakes have really improved leaps and bounds. I never miss an opportunity to look and learn about opals and I would now want some sort of guarantee or reputable certificate before buying.

I agree, and they have convincing black opal synthetics as well.

 

[prs]

I think your stone is a likely a white opal or a crystal opal. If it's a crystal opal the enclosed back will help light reflect back from the opal and improve the play of color.

This video from Black Opal Direct will help you tell the difference. Link

 

[MomInstyle]

That’s not a good sign.

Does most rings with opal leave the backside of the opal exposed?

 

[ilovegemstones]

Often the backs are open for solid opals in that style of ring. Since it is enclosed it makes it hard to tell if it is a doublet or a triplet.

 

[MomInstyle]

I went to this small local jeweler repair who has been in almost 40 years. I have never used his service before because we just moved here last year.

I brought my watch in for battery replacement and he charged only $5. Omg! $5?!? Wow! That is dirt cheap.

I have him my opal ring to take a look. He said it’s real opal and the diamonds are real. I asked how can he tell without looking at the back side of the opal stone. He said it’s real because there is no doublet or triplet. He has 3 other people waiting so I try to be quick. I really don’t know what the doublet or triplets would look like so he can confirm that there is none.

What other info that I could provide to determine if this is natural opal or synthetic?

 

[chrono]

You can only tell if it's a double or triplet by looking at it from the side profile. Unfortunately, most jewellers don't know much about any coloured gemstones at all.

 

[arkieb1]

Looks like a real opal, if the jeweller looked at it and said it's solid not a doublet or triplet that means it's worth more because it's not a thin slice of opal with a glass or perspex top and black backing, it's a solid opal just in a metal back to show up the colour better, it does look like an Aussie opal which in general are worth more than Ethiopian opals.

 

[dohihara]

real opal

 

[axelrich]

Looks original to me..