These are sweet little earrings and nice to have to make that causal outfit look a bit more feminine - like jeans and a t-shirt. They are definitely man made opals. There are not red flecks, which would be found in a natural pair and indicated by another reviewer. They are however pretty. One reviewer said that they were shells (shelled out in the back). I specifically looked for that when I received mine but honestly I can't see into the back enough to determine if they are shells. They seem solid to me. Because they are stones, the heart shapes are microscopically different from one another but one would never notice unless they were comparing side bye side for a length of time. While on ears no one would ever notice. The size is nice - not too big, not too small, but I would not recommend buying them for little girls as they would be too big by design. Opal lovers, on a budget, would love these. A man on a budge would love these too and so would his recipient. A thoughtful gift they would make.