Opal Care
Care of Opals and Opal Jewellery
Opal jewellery requires no greater care than other jewellery mounted with stones such as diamond, ruby emerald, tanzanite or turquoise.
You should never wear any jewellery in rough conditions such as to the beach or during activities where it may get knocked by metal or hard objects (eg washing up).
In these conditions, stones get dislodged from their settings, gold gets scratched and stones get chipped (even diamonds) and opal should be treated the same as all other stones - with respect.
Opal requires no special treatment or care. As with other stones, grime from wear can be wiped off with a damp tissue or cloth.
With care, opals will retain their original appearance indefinitely. Opal care is not difficult and you should treat your precious opal with the same care and respect as you would with any fine jewelry. Solid opal does not need any special conditions, but it is advisable to avoid impacts and knocks. If you live in an extremely arid climate it is a good idea to leave your solid opal in a glass of water overnight to rehydrate it (opal contains between 6% and 10% water). If your piece of opal jewelry is starting to look a bit dull, simply use water with a drop of mild detergent in it and brush it gently with a soft toothbrush, then rinse in clean water. Water will not harm solid opal.
After many years of wear, small scratches and scuff marks may cause an opal to lose its shiny polish and it may become dull looking. If your solid opal does become dull or scratched, you should take your opal to a reputable jeweler who knows about opal. If the gemstone needs re-polishing this can generally be done for a very reasonable price. At the same time they can also check for claw damage and make sure that the setting is still sound. Professional re-polishing can bring new life to an opal which has become dull or scratched. If you cannot find a competent opal cutter to re-polish your opal, Justopal.com will offer this service to you.
OPAL PATTLERNS : HARLEQUIN .
Harlequin opal this gemstone pattern would have to be the most one of the most sought after patterns, if not the most symmetrical and uniform patterns that you will find in the opal industry in Australia, which supplies 95% of the world's opal. Different types of Harlequin patterns are seen in the industry for example, peacock Harlequin, ribbon Harlequin. Harlequin black opal gem quality gemstones start at $2000 a carat out on the opal Fields around the town of lightning Ridge New South Wales Australia, and $14,000 a carat has been paid to primary producers and miners out on the claims in the outback of Australia, and $10,000 a carat is quite a acceptable field prices.
CHINESE WRITING PATTERN
Chinese writing pattern is also a very beautiful pattern that resembles Chinese characters and the Oriental alphabet . This is a very rare pattern opal indeed and is very sought after around the world, in many countries not just Asia in America and Europe and more. The lightning Ridge Australian black opal patterns are magnificent and there are no other types of opal that rival these brilliant and exquisite gemstones as each one is unique and there will never be two of this kind.
NAMED OPAL GEMSTONES AND PICTURE STONES
These gemstones are usually either very expensive or have patterns and pictures that are clearly visible to the viewer. I have personally found many beautiful picture stones over the last 30 years, you could clearly see a image of a wedge tale eagle in one beautiful black opal gemstone that I've found many years ago. I have a beautiful crystal opal on the web site that clearly has the shape of a butterfly. And as these gemstones are not that common unless you have a great imagination, then you will find that you will have to spend a little bit more of your finances to purchase unique opals such as named stones and picture stones.
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