Don, I've 'been told' that in fact MOST of the so called black opals on the market really aren't. They are a flake of cheaper opal laminated to a black substance (don't know what)

If you marketed them as enhanced, or man made, I can't see that it would hurt anything, esp. if the price were reasonable. After all, enhanced and or man made 'nearly any gem' is now available. My own engagement ring, a ruby, is a man made stone rather than Nature Made.

My problem is that I adore opals and don't wear any jewlery at all. It gets in my way, and generally just 'bugs me' when I have it on. What else can you do with an opal? Set it in the window and look at it? Well, ya...I actually DO have window sills full of Damn Rocks, as my family calls them. I even have a largish (4" or so) chunk of mica stuck up ON a window. I have Damn Rocks packed away too. Gods only know what my family will do with them when I die.