OPAL WARNING

[WTFarmGirl]

I was sorting my loose gemstones the other day (bought new display cases) and as I do, I put each gem on my refractometer (gem tester) to ensure they were more or less legit.

Some of my opals were reading incorrectly, so I searched the internet to see about fakes.

And what I found left a pit in my stomach.

There are a VAST number of fake opal varieties out there that look IDENTICAL to the real deal. And let me tell you, they are NOT cheap either like you'd expect. Now when I say I found some, what I found WAS THE ROUGH MATERIAL, not the polished, faceted stones. Vendors had a variety for EVERY TYPE of opal variety out there, including hydrophane opals and all color combos of black and boulder opals.

So, unless a vendor is testing EVERY PIECE they get, there is a good chance a few could be fakes, and you'd never know unless you had it tested.

As far as my own went, it turned out I was looking at them incorrectly and they were testing just fine. But I'm also glad I test everything as I sort!

[Penelope~Pit~Stop]

Hi WTFarmGirl.....

I don't know anything about stones except they are pretty
You have become an expert and have a nice collection too!
By the way I like your account picture
Happy New Year!

[HS]

Thank you for posting this warning/information. I have always been very wary of purchasing corundum from unknown sources because of beryllium diffusion.

Please keep us updated and let us know when you have more information to share. I'd like to learn more about opals in general. Thanks.