Mints Solitaire Silver-Plated Stud Opal Earrings For Women

Authentic opal earrings cost hundreds of dollars, and these stones are notorious for falling out of their settings. They are prized in the gemstone world for their dazzling colors, but they are on the softer side, so they are also known to scratch and chip more easily than harder stones like diamonds.

Still, the colors on an opal can change at different angles, making opals a popular choice in jewelry. There really is no substitute for genuine opals … or is there?

Synthetic opals cost much less than real ones, are created in labs and can look very authentic. Best of all, even the best synthetic opals sell for a fraction of the price of real ones.

Quality imitation opals can contain some real opal fused in with the synthetic materials, and you may not even be able to tell the difference in stud and hoop earrings.

Sellers are required by law to disclose that these opals are synthetic, so read product descriptions carefully before you buy. Generally speaking, if the price listed by a retailer seems like it’s too low for the earrings to contain real opals, it probably is as you suspect.

Real opals are made from silica, water and sandstone. Synthetic opals are made in labs by manipulating tiny spheres of silica into various arrangements that are then bound together.

While you or your gift recipient might not be able to distinguish real and synthetic stones, there are a few subtle details to look for, though you would probably need a magnifying glass to identify them. You might see more of a columnar pattern when looking at the opal at a certain angle, or a “snakeskin” pattern. Lab-created opals might also have stronger colors than real ones, too.

• Synthetic opals are sold in a dazzling array of colors, from white to black, with flecks of color.
• If you want a more traditional-looking opal, opt for a pearly-whitish color with flecks of light blue, green, yellow and pink.
• Silver and gold pair well with opals, and if you are looking for something different, you can look for opals set in rose gold.
• When shopping for earrings, look for ones that have surgical-grade stainless-steel posts, hooks or clips.
• Opals (and tourmaline) are the October birthstone.