Is an opal the same as an emerald?

The more expensive and hard-to-find natural gems in jewelry, such as diamond (white and fancy color), sapphire (blue and other colors), emerald, ruby and opal, are favorite lab-created stones. They're not gem imitations; lab-created gemstones are the real deal. read more

Opal always involves water to some extent. In fact opal is defined as hydrated silica. Those silica gel beads in drying packets in medicines or jerky are technically a type of dehydrated opal. Opal can be formed under high heat in ultra-presurized water such as is found in geysers. read more