How to spot treated opal

This week Justin will take you through some obvious and not so obvious differences between natural Australian black opal and treated black opal.

Key factors when spotting a fake opal.

• Polish: Treated opal doesn’t have a high polish, resulting in ripples usually being present on the exterior of the gem.
• Double-Sided: Natural black opals can be double-sided but are quite scarce. However, most treated opals are double-sided and cut with an obvious sharp edge from the dome to the back.
• Primarily Black: Most treated opals contain a body tone of N1 or N2 with flecks of colour.
• Green: The green in treated opals is a very distinct type of green and can be recognised easier when a comparison is made between a genuine opal and a treated opal.
• Honeycomb Potch: This is a type of Ethiopian opal which displays a natural honeycomb pattern. This is a dead giveaway – nothing Australian has a honeycomb potch.

All opals are special and have their place in the world – as long as you know exactly what you are purchasing. Be sure to do your research and purchase from a reputable seller of opals and other gems.

Here is a similar video we made almost 10 years ago: https://youtu.be/Wttz0T60wFU