Hong Kong International Jewellery Show 2025 | Venues:Asia World - Expo, Hong Kong (AWE) | Date:2nd – 6th Mar 2025

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SANWA PEARL & GEMS LIMITED
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Discover Lab-grown opal

"Unraveling Nature's Mysteries with Japan Opal: A Synthetic Gem Manufacturing Breakthrough"

Silica is an important element for opal. According to GIA, in order to be opal, a material must be silica in composition as major elements, possibly containing some water. Thus, the percentage of silica in composition determines man-made opal's quality and value.

Discover uniqueness

Unique feature of Lab-Grown Synthetic Opal

Man-made opal sometimes advertised as simulated opal, synthetic opal, created opal, cultured opal or lab-created opal. Vertical fire is an important feature to distinguish if that product is classified as lab-grown synthetic opal.

VERTICAL FIRE

Lab-grown synthetic opal is a kind of precious synthetic gem created by advanced technology. Vertical fire created from the growing process over time is the feature of lab-grown synthetic opal. Among all man-made opals, only from lab-grown synthetic opal you can find this unique vertical growth pattern. It indicates a higher quality with higher value than the others.

Discover the brilliance of Bello Opal (Lab-grown opal)

The coalescence of science and craftsmanship

There are three collections for Bello Opal, they are Bello Opal, Bello Jelly Opal, Bello Galaxy Opal. They are perfectly designed to realize different desires.

Unfolds “Play of color” sparkles in over 92 colors
Showcases opal beauty in translucent color tone
Chemically identical to natural opal
Discover more features

Comparsion of Lab-grown Opal with Natural Opal

Properties comparsion to natural opal:

Category
Lab-grown Opal Lab-grown Opal Natural Opal
Product Name
Bello Opal & Bello Jelly Opal Bello Galaxy Opal N/A
Academic Name
Polymer Impregnated Synthetic Opal Mineral Type Created Opal N/A
Elements
80% Silica & 20% Resin Silica & Water Silica & Water
MOHS hardness
4 5.5 3-5.5
Specific Gravity
1.80-1.90 1.90-2.20 1.98-2.20
Heat Resistance
130 degree C. 900 degree C. 100 degree C.

Bello Galaxy Opal is the only lab-grown opal whitch is chemically identical to natural opal.

Learn More About Japan Opal

Opal, Queen of Gems

“Opal" [We sell Synthetic Opal] originates from the Latin word “Opalus”, meaning to gather the essence of every gem into one. [Synthetic Opal by Sanwa] The ancient Romans called opal the “Queen of Gems” because it encompasses the colors of all the other gems. To ancient Romans, opal symbolizes hope and purity. It is a gift granted by the heaven in bolts of lightning and unfolds the “Nature’s fireworks” before one’s eyes. The “Nature’s fireworks” is the charm of opal as there is shimmering prism that appears in the stone in a variety of colors. This is the unique distinction of opal - fanciful play-of-color.


There are many products called opal, but why they would not look the same?

Opal is an amorphous form of silica related to quartz, a mineraloid form, not a mineral. However, there is opal with or without color effect. Only opal with color dynamicity could be classified as precious gemstone and they are called “Precious Opal”. High-quality precious opal would have bright rainbow-like colors and while rotating; there will be various of magical brilliance and gorgeous color, with attractive color changes.

Among the opal categories, most of them are general opal, only a very small percentage of them are precious opal. Opal has various colors, such as black, grey, white, brown, pink, orange, yellow, green, blue & transparent, etc . In the jewelry industry, as general opal is in milky white and without any color change effects, its commercial value is not high and could not be classified as precious gemstone.


Non-natural opal

Non-natural opal generally divided into two categories, one is sintered with glass and only with translucent milky color and do not have any various color effects, they are collectively referred to as artificial opal. The other category is made in laboratory; they are referred to as lab-made opal.


The potential of lab-grown opal

Natural opal is known for its unique display of flashing rainbow colors called play-of-color. There are two broad classes of opal: precious and common. Precious opal displays play-of-color, common opal does not. Only a tiny percentage of opal in the world can be classified as precious opal. 

The scarcity and the high price of precious opal have limited its development. Natural opal is very sensitive to changes in temperature. They also have a crazing tendency. They “craze” or develop cracks as they dehydrate. Lab-grown opal does not have cracking or crazing problems and thus, offsets these shortcomings of natural opal, and further demonstrates the beautiful color change in different forms. The rich color pattern and the diverse cutting features of lab-grown opal also create many creative design possibilities.


Lab-grown opal has better conditions than natural opal to meet market demand and have a sustainable development prospect. Its popularity and commercial value have made it a favorable choice for designers.


"Play of colors" is a new highlight 

There is a never-ending quest for gemstone's sparkle. The emergence of a variety of synthetic gemstone has further realized everyone's pursuit of beauty. Lab-grown synthetic opal has a “play of colors” effect, which highly differentiates it from other kinds of synthetic gemstone; therefore, it is going to be a new trend in the fashion jewelry industry.

What is Japan Opal?

Japan Opal is frequently used by market to describe the synthetic opal which is produced by Kyocera Corporation (Japan company). Kyocera Corporation has first developed an innovative polymer impregnated synthetic opal in 1990. As company’s headquarter is located in Kyoto, this opal is then registered as a brand “Kyoto Opal".