How to Care for Your Opal

Important things to remember about your opal:

Opal is fairly durable under pressure, but it does have the same tinsel strength as glass. What this means is, it will shatter relatively easy if dropped from waist height on to something hard. Always have a good grip on it when you are putting it on and off. Have a look under your feet – are you on carpet or tile?

Opal is made up of 6% water so do not leave it in temperatures below freezing or store it in direct sunlight. If you are not going to wear it for a while, rub some body oil on the opal before putting it away. (Smear your finger across the stone. This will be enough for a few months) 

If glue is one of the components of your jewelry (bell cap pendants, earrings, inlay rings) you should keep this in mind. Although opal loves water, the glue does not. The glue is actually a two part resin with thermodynamic properties. This means absolutely no hot water – it is best to keep your jewelry dry for this reason.

To clean your opal jewelry, dip it in warm water for about 3 seconds and then clean all areas of the piece with a fine bristled tooth brush and dish detergent. It is ok to dip several times but never for longer than 3 seconds at a time.

If you break a stone or need a ring resized, DO NOT take it to a jeweler unless they specialize in opal. (A lot of bad things can happen to opal jewelry!) It is a specialized field. I am happy to have your item fixed at cost the first time. Some people can wear it every day for their whole life and all is ok, and some people can wear it for a week and that’s it!

A tune up of your jewelry will cost $20. That is, re-sand and polish opal, buff and polish gold work.

Most importantly, enjoy wearing your opal.