Natural Opal vs Created Opal | What's the Difference?

Opal is one of the world's most fascinating gemstones, admired for its remarkable play of colour and ever-changing appearance. If you've been researching opal jewellery, you've probably come across terms such as natural opal, created opal, laboratory-created opal and synthetic opal.

While these materials can look similar at first glance, they are created in different ways and each has its own advantages. Understanding the differences will help you choose the material that best suits your jewellery and your personal taste.

What Is Natural Opal?

Natural opal is formed over millions of years as silica-rich water slowly deposits microscopic silica spheres within cracks and cavities in rock. These tiny spheres interact with light to produce the famous play of colour that makes opal so highly prized.

Because natural opal forms in nature, every stone is completely unique. Colours, patterns and brightness vary considerably from one specimen to another. Sometimes it can form as tiny bits in large host rock, and other times it can form large seams.

What Is Created Opal?

Created opal is manufactured using advanced techniques that reproduce the internal optical structure responsible for opal's beautiful play of colour.

Rather than attempting to imitate natural opal exactly, created opals allow jewellery designers to produce vibrant colours, consistent quality and exciting designs that may not occur naturally.

At Wolf Beads, we use premium created opal materials such as Bello Opal, Mosaic Bello Opal and Aurora Opal to create colourful handmade charm beads.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Which Is Better?

Neither material is inherently better—they simply appeal to different collectors.

Natural opal is valued for its rarity and geological origin, while created opal is appreciated for its vibrant colours, consistency and creative possibilities.

Many jewellery lovers enjoy both, choosing each for different reasons.

Created Opals at Wolf Beads

We use several premium created opal materials throughout our collection.

• Bello Opal
• Mosaic Bello Opal
• Aurora Opal

Each offers its own distinctive appearance while sharing the beautiful play of colour that makes opal such a captivating material.

Which Should You Choose?

If you love natural geological history and one-of-a-kind gemstones, natural opal may be your favourite. If you enjoy bold colours, exceptional brilliance and modern jewellery design, created opal offers a fantastic alternative.

Ultimately, the best choice is the one that makes you smile every time you wear it.