The Truth About “Cheap” Opals — How to Spot the Real from the Replica

It’s easy to be tempted by low-priced “opal jewellery” online — but most of those pieces aren’t what they seem.

Many sellers offer glued doublets or triplets, where a thin slice of real opal is layered on dark backing or covered in glass to mimic the look of a solid stone. They can be beautiful for a while — until they fog, crack, or discolour with moisture.

At Iona Opal Australia, we sell only solid Australian opals — no fillers, no glue, no composites. Each stone is cut and polished by us from start to finish, meaning what you see is what’s really there: genuine colour, fire, and structure, formed naturally in the earth.

Affordable doesn’t mean imitation. It means you’re getting real Australian opal jewellery without paying for the layers of mark-up that often come between you and the source.

Know your stone. Buy it from the people who cut it.