All About Opals

Opal Information

Synthetic Opals
As well as occurring naturally, opals of all varieties have been synthesized experimentally and commercially. The discovery of the ordered sphere structure of precious opal led to its synthesis by Pierre Gilson in 1974 (Klein and Hurlbut, 1985, p.528). The resulting material is distinguishable from natural opal by its regularity; under magnification, the patches of colour are seen to be arranged in a "lizard skin" or "chicken wire" pattern. Synthetics are further distinguished from naturals by the former's lack of fluorescence under UV light. Synthetics are also generally lower in density and are often highly porous; some may even stick to the tongue.

Two notable producers of synthetic opal are the companies Kyocera and Inamori of Japan. Most so-called synthetics, however, are more correctly termed imitations, as they contain substances not found in natural opal (e.g., plastic stabilizers). The imitation opals seen in vintage jewellery are often "Slocum Stone" consisting of laminated glass with bits of foil interspersed.

Opals in Popular Culture
The opal is the official gemstone of South Australia and the Commonwealth of Australia, and the country's women's national team in basketball is nicknamed The Opals.

Opal is the official birthstone of the month of October. It can also represent the zodiac sign of Gemini. The state gem stone for Nevada is precious black opal, which is named for the true black opal found in Virgin Valley, Humboldt County, Nevada.