Gold of 18 carat, or 8 carat, rolled gold or gold plated, gold on silver, white gold, jade, pearl, freshwater pearl, diamond or cubic zirconia, real amethyst or synthetic, leather or imitation leather, opal or a p a l i t e? You might want to spend less and be quite happy. You might prefer not to have real fur or real leather. But do you know what you are being offered? Faux is French for false or fake.
I looked at some pretty jewellery on eBay. Then I reflected on the term o p a l i t e . What is it? Obviously not opal. Is it a slice of opal rather than a whole stone? No, it appears to be synthetic. If you just want something pretty to wear whilst travelling (leaving your more expensive jewellery elsewhere) then it might suit you. But at least be aware what you are buying. In a shop you can decide if the colours are vibrant, or garish, drained out, or subtle. On line you have to be more careful. Here from the website below is a detailed guide.
In a shop, especially when travelling, you may have to make a quick decision. At least you can investigate in advance if you like buying opals from Australia, or amethyst from Asia.
If you are able to tell the difference and discuss it with the jewellery seller, you may get a straightforward answer. The seller may be quite happy to admit that you are looking at a 'fake' or synthetic gem if there's a chance of getting you to spend more on a real gemstone. The jewellery might happily say, "This is very cheap because it is just o p a l i t e. Very good value if you just want costume jewellery. But if you are prepared to pay more, I have this one for you which is real opal as you can see ..."
My view is that websites such as eBay should require the seller to publish a link, or they should make a pop-up to a link.
http://www.jewelledweb.com/2014/12/13/dont-get-fooled-opalite/
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
I looked at some pretty jewellery on eBay. Then I reflected on the term o p a l i t e . What is it? Obviously not opal. Is it a slice of opal rather than a whole stone? No, it appears to be synthetic. If you just want something pretty to wear whilst travelling (leaving your more expensive jewellery elsewhere) then it might suit you. But at least be aware what you are buying. In a shop you can decide if the colours are vibrant, or garish, drained out, or subtle. On line you have to be more careful. Here from the website below is a detailed guide.
In a shop, especially when travelling, you may have to make a quick decision. At least you can investigate in advance if you like buying opals from Australia, or amethyst from Asia.
If you are able to tell the difference and discuss it with the jewellery seller, you may get a straightforward answer. The seller may be quite happy to admit that you are looking at a 'fake' or synthetic gem if there's a chance of getting you to spend more on a real gemstone. The jewellery might happily say, "This is very cheap because it is just o p a l i t e. Very good value if you just want costume jewellery. But if you are prepared to pay more, I have this one for you which is real opal as you can see ..."
My view is that websites such as eBay should require the seller to publish a link, or they should make a pop-up to a link.
http://www.jewelledweb.com/2014/12/13/dont-get-fooled-opalite/
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
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