Black opal... solid Aussie?

[cloud_less]

Not me falling down the opal rabbit hole again ... Between losing my small opal pendant and buying my fav art deco ring recently, I'm broke and should be banished to Ban Island. Yet here I am, stumbled upon this vintage opal ring for sale online.

https://imgur.com/a/hg2qEay

The seller claims that this is "Australian solid natural black opal Lightning Ridge", facing up 8x10mm. After gawking at beautiful opals from Black Opal Direct etc. its price around the $1500 mark seems a bit too good to be true?
It hasn't reached me yet and it comes with a 7 day return period. I would really appreciate insights from all my PS friends before I cheap out and regret, or pay too much for a non-Aussie/doublet/triplet/synthetic.
Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[cloud_less]

back of the stone:

 

[Starstruck8]

I'm absolutely not an expert, and probably hold my peace, but...

I strongly suspect synthetic. It's double sided and appears to have columns of colour - this is typical of one type of synthetic. It looks too opaque - natural black opal is a bit transparent, which gives a subtle 3-D effect to the edges of the colour blocks. Search the net on 'synthetic black opal' for comparisons.

Double sided natural black opal does exist, but it's rare. If this is natural, it's at least an order of magnitude underpriced.

Also, the setting looks crudely made, without sharp detail. (But that may just be the photography.) And the prongs don't look to be sitting right.

But you can check it in more detail when you receive it.

 

[cloud_less]

I strongly suspect synthetic. It's double sided and appears to have columns of colour - this is typical of one type of synthetic. It looks too opaque - natural black opal is a bit transparent, which gives a subtle 3-D effect to the edges of the colour blocks. Search the net on 'synthetic black opal' for comparisons.

Thank you! Make sense and I suspect that as well
Some side view pics:



An example of synthetic black opal I found online:

 

[fredflintstone]

Not me falling down the opal rabbit hole again ... Between losing my small opal pendant and buying my fav art deco ring recently, I'm broke and should be banished to Ban Island. Yet here I am, stumbled upon this vintage opal ring for sale online.

https://imgur.com/a/hg2qEay

The seller claims that this is "Australian solid natural black opal Lightning Ridge", facing up 8x10mm. After gawking at beautiful opals from Black Opal Direct etc. its price around the $1500 mark seems a bit too good to be true?
It hasn't reached me yet and it comes with a 7 day return period. I would really appreciate insights from all my PS friends before I cheap out and regret, or pay too much for a non-Aussie/doublet/triplet/synthetic.
Thanks a lot in advance!

You do know that black lightning ridge opal is nature's doublet? The opal its self is not solid opal all the way through. Always dark gray to black matrix behind lightning ridge black opal making the body color of the opal its self look black or dark.

I also suspect a synthetic. Only Ethiopian Opal can be a untreated solid cyrstal that is dark and in some cases black as Stayish mine Opal from Ethiopia is. Then there is smoked black welo opal. Jet black.

 

[cloud_less]

You do know that black lightning ridge opal is nature's doublet? The opal its self is not solid opal all the way through. Always dark gray to black matrix behind lightning ridge black opal making the body color of the opal its self look black or dark.

I also suspect a synthetic. Only Ethiopian Opal can be a untreated solid cyrstal that is dark and in some cases black as Stayish mine Opal from Ethiopia is. Then there is smoked black welo opal. Jet black.

Thank you! I agree this is most likely synthetic after input from everyone and reading up a bit more on synthetic opals.
Once it arrives I'll try loupe it to see if I can find the incriminating snakeskin pattern of a Gilson. Take it as a good learning experience!

To go off on a tangent, for solid double-sided lightning ridge black opal with no potch on the surface, could it be that there's a dark potch layer inside the stone itself?
an example I just looked up from Black Opal Direct, a whopping $22k black opal

4.41 ct Gem Black Opal Double Sided | Black Opal Direct

blackopaldirect.com

 

[fredflintstone]

Thank you! I agree this is most likely synthetic after input from everyone and reading up a bit more on synthetic opals.
Once it arrives I'll try loupe it to see if I can find the incriminating snakeskin pattern of a Gilson. Take it as a good learning experience!

To go off on a tangent, for solid double-sided lightning ridge black opal with no potch on the surface, could it be that there's a dark potch layer inside the stone itself?
an example I just looked up from Black Opal Direct, a whopping $22k black opal

4.41 ct Gem Black Opal Double Sided | Black Opal Direct

blackopaldirect.com

They're as rare as frogs hair but apparently you did find one.

Did you notice other than different colors the flagstone pattern is very, very, similar to your video above of the ring stone?

Personally, for $22,000, I'd pass and never look back.

One thing about snakeskin pattern, there is natural opal with that pattern, Welo Opal. As a matter of fact, when Welo Opal came out and had that pattern along with honeycomb (snakeskin is just a smaller honeycomb pattern) many thought the stones were synthetic. They were and are natural. But yes, it pays to be vigilant for synthetic Opal.

 

[jordyonbass]

Synthetic is my guess just based on the price alone; bright, flagstone pattern and non directional Black Opal like that fetch at least 5x what the vendor is asking just for the stone on it's own and that is a conservative 5x price. My guess is it's a Gilson.