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There seems to be much confusion about the proper way to care for and clean opals and opal jewelry.
To read about opal care please scroll past our product selection to the bottom of this page. If you have any questions on caring for your opal jewelry I would be happy to assist you anytime. You can contact me via the live chat or by email at peter@opalmine.com
Here’s a simple guide that will let you preserve your beautiful opals and keep them looking their best. Opal jewelry like this needs to be cared for.
Buy quality stones from a knowledgeable dealer or jeweler, preferably someone who is a cutter. Now, this may sound like strange “care” advice, but the stone you purchase is as important as the care you give it. Here’s why.
Many jewelers don’t know one opal from another, and cannot offer you the right opal care advice. If you know what you’ve got…you can know how to look after it.
Can I put my opals in water? If its Australian opal, yes, there is no problem in doing this, but if the stone is from Africa or from areas that are damp, the opal will soak up the water and lose color as stated above.
It is possible to restore the color by drying out the stone but it’s not worth the risk. If you take a look at the blog below you will see that many people have bought hydrophane opals that are not from the desert areas of Australia and these opals have lost their color. (See comments at the bottom of this page in answer to a customer who had this problem)
How do oily substances affect an opal? If you mean wearing it under the car when you change the oil or pack the wheel bearings, …the oil won’t soak into the stone or hurt it in any way,…but the grime and the possibility of scratching it would be the biggest problem. However, oily hand and face creams will not hurt the stone, except that it may build up around a ring and make it look unsightly.
What should I do to avoid damaging an opal? Don’t wear it doing the gardening, because the sand or soil may take the polish off the stone, or, if you get too energetic, you could smash the stone against a rock,…and opals don’t like being treated that way. (Neither would you nor I)..
And of course, there is the chance that the gold or silver claws will be damaged, and you could lose the stone altogether. Take it off if you are doing any sort of work that could bring the stone in contact with hard surfaces. A flick of the wrist in the wrong direction could chip it.
What do I do if my stone loses its polish or becomes scratched? Now, this is why we suggest that you buy from people who cut the stone. For example, if you get a stone from the opalmine.com site, and you damage your stone, in most cases, it can be re-polished very cheaply. If you have stones already that need re-polishing, contact us for instructions.
How do I store my opals for long periods of time? Generally, it’s safe to store them away, as long as the area is not overheated. It’s not a bad idea to put them in a sealed plastic bag with a little water in case of drying out. Don’t store them for long periods of time under hot lights, as this could crack the stones if the heat builds up and is magnified in a showcase.
This advice comes from my wife Renate’s personal experience. She was sporting a beautiful blue boulder opal ring, about 4 carats in size, mounted in nice 18k gold, surrounded with diamonds. Worth around $2000.
On the way back from the snowfields one year, she went into the ladies room at a fuel station, and after washing her hands with soap and water, she wiped them on a paper towel, and at the same time, pulled off her ring and threw it into the wastepaper basket…and didn’t even notice it till we got home, about 1000 km’s up the track.
This problem is more pronounced for people who have rather straight fingers with little or no enlarged knuckle. You just have to have a little extra hand cream on, and it will slip right off. ..so just be conscious of it.
Caring for Jewelry with diamond accents.
If you have accompanying diamonds with your opal jewelry, in the case of rings particularly, the diamonds become very dull after a while, even if you’ve given the ring a clean. The main reason for this is that many people only clean the front of the ring and not the back.
So…just poor some pure wash-up detergent into the back of your ring, and scrub it from the inside with a soft toothbrush in hot water. The diamonds will sparkle again, and it will not hurt the opal as long as you don’t do it all the time.
Check your jewelry. Inspect your jewelry regularly for claw damage. You can do this yourself if you have a magnifying glass. There’s not a mystery to it.
If you can see that the claw is loose and the stone moves a little, it’s good to get something done about it. If you hold the item up close to your ear and rattle it, if the stone is very loose you can hear it.
If you want to be sure about it, talk to your jeweler.
Cleaning. Any paste or fluid designed to polish brass will also polish gold or silver. Just use a soft rag, apply the paste, and polish it off.
After that, pour on a few drops of household detergent, give it a scrub with a fine toothbrush and wash it off under hot water. This will bring the gold back to what it was like when you purchased the jewelry.
Also, on the subject of opal insurance…If you think your opals are insured under your household policy, make sure you have a good talk with your broker or agent. Ask the following questions.
House security: A good addition to every home is a deadlock. Usually, they cost around $50 per door, but the money is well spent if you install them on all external entries. An experienced thief can pick these locks too, but it is not likely as there are too many other locks that are a snack to open.
If you have a room in the house where you put your valuables, put a deadlock on the internal door as well. Your insurance company will give you a smile of approval for this initiative, and probably a healthy discount too, that can go toward the cost of the locks….See your broker for negotiations along this line.
Giving a little forethought to your purchase and by applying the suggestions in this opal care section we are confident that you will get many years of service from your jewelry. If you need any advice in this regard, please don’t hesitate to leave a message on this blog.
Example of assistance given to a customer who bought an African opal which turned brown:
Susan:
The opal is probably from Ethiopia and many of them lose color when immersed in water because of their porosity. The first thing I would do is go back to the jeweler you purchased it from and complain and either ask for your money back or at least half so that you can buy an opal from Australia that you won’t have problems with. The jeweler should have disclosed this to you at the point of sale.
If you want to try to stay with your opal because of sentimental reasons or if you cannot get a refund, I can offer you some suggestions. I am happy to give you this free service.
Try putting your ring on the mantlepiece in full sunlight or under a warm desk light for a few hours and allow the stone to completely dry out. This could take a longer period of time but when the water has evaporated the color should come back. Just remember not to put it in water in future.
If you like, take a look at this comprehensive article we have written about opal rings
I hope this explanation has helped. If you like let me know how you go. Pleased to help further if possible.
Peter
239 Responses
What type opal?
Hello: I recently acquired a vintage gold ring with an opal. I would like to have the ring resized a couple sizes larger, and have the stone polished. The stone cannot be removed from the bezel setting – can the ring be resized without damage to the opal? Also, what type opal is in the ring? Thank you for any information and advice!
Hi there! I live in the USA. I am hoping the opal is Australian. It is a vintage ring, so not sure. Can the ring be mailed to you for the work? I need ring sized up to 6.5 and the opal polished. Thanks!
Hi Peter, I live near Memphis, Tennessee
Thanks so much – I appreciate your help!
Hi, I have just had a ring made out of a piece of opal and when the artist who was making the ring set the opal in she cracked it, its a very small crack and you wouldnt noticed it, I’m disappointed but I can live with the crack as I don’t want to have the opal cut down and made into another ring, but I was wondering if there was something I could put over the crack to seal it, to protect it from water getting in? The piece of opal has a lot of sentimental value to me as it was a gift from a family member who was also gifted it 53 years ago so I’m reluctant to send it anywhere.
Thank you for your reply, I feel better knowing it will probably be OK 🙂
Hello, I had two opals assembled into a pendant when they were delivered to me all fine but the 6 For days it became transparent and without the colors it had it looked like glass. I asked the seller and he told me that possibly when they assembled it they heated it too much and damaged it and the truth is I didn't know that that could happen. If you can help or advise me I would greatly appreciate it. greetings
I inherited this ring from my grandmother who passed away in 1997. My grandpa was a colonel in the army and they lived all over the world so I’m not certain where it came from but my parents said they loved Australia and vacationed there often so I’m thinking that’s a possibility. I know she had the setting custom made for the opal. The opal is extremely cloudy and las lost almost all its luster. Can you tell what kind of opal it is? There is a backing on the stone that is black and is loose from the stone but is secured by the setting. I have noticed these other comments the backs of the ring don’t have this. Do you know what it is? What is the best way for me to restore the original luster of the opal?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 🙂
Hi i’m from indonesia and i very love about black opal. But it’s very diffrent here..i’d like to know what kind exactly i have a black opal..i have rough black opal and in indonesia we need to treatment before the color came up..and its hard ..we need almost 4 mont to get a colors not like in australian opals. Here we need to heating,drying,put on rain water, and many more juat to bring out the colors..i need help here how i can get the color with a right treatment…please help me send me an email rezass813@gmail.com thank u best regard reza from indonesia..i can’t upload my picture ..please is somebody read this please give me an answer on my fb just tipe pratama tour .
Hi can u tell me if these are black opals?
Lee, they look like solid opals but the bottom right looks like a boulder opal which is a type of black opal. the one on the left is probably the same. the opal at the top is a crystal opal. please go here to check the definitions:http://opalmine.com/opal-picture-guide/ hope that helps. best wishes Lee, Peter
My opal has completely turned yellow. I have tried to do what I usually do to clean it…mild soap and and a soft toothbrush. I did not work. A woman shared with me to let it sit in warm olive oil and water to bring the color back and to no avail, it did no t work. What can I do?
Connie, i would say that you have an Ethiopian opal not Australian. These opals are very beautiful but you have to keep them out of water because they are porous. The first thing to do is wash it in household dish-wash detergent to get the oil off of it, then rinse it in water. Then you will need to leave it somewhere in the sun to dry it out but dont allow it to get too hot. Once the water has evaporated the color should come back. If it doesn’t, please report the matter on this forum and i would suggest that you return it to the merchant you got it from and ask for a refund. Hope that helps Connie, Peter
Peter – I got this ring in Idaho 20 years ago. I was told it is a fire opal from Idaho, but when I visited Puerto Vallarta, they said it was rare to see a fire opal any more. I am trying to find the best way to clean it as it has a small diamond as well. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
TRACEI, many apologies for not getting back to you about your ring till now. for some reason i did not get notification about your blog message. Its a bit hard to see what sort of opal it is because the picture of the stone itself is not large enough so if you know how, please crop out most of the surrounding picture and just leave the ring. i should be able to tell by that. peter
hi Peter. what a very useful page. hoping u have got some great advise for restoring a friends ethiopian opal ring which has lost some of its colour. it has developed some opaque blotches on some of the 5 stones. she did forget to take it off while washing up and i advised her to set it aside to dry but it only brought back some of the fires,leaving the opaque blotches. is there anything else i could do to try and restore the opals as the blotches take away the beauty of the rest of the stones. as u can see in the pic, its the 3 stones on the left hand side including the middle 1 that r the 1’s with blotches. the 2 on the right r not affected at all as u can see from the stunning colour play.
oh and can i offer my assistance with Karon’s ring, dated March 13th 2015,which u suggested might be mother of pearl. it is in fact rainbow moonstone. this is 1 of my other favorite gemstones and i can identify it easily from the pictures.
anyway i hope u can help and many things for the info i have gathered so far. Diane
Diane regarding opal clarification. thanks for comments about rainbow moonstone. In regard to the Ethiopian opal. Yes unfortunately this type of opal is called hydrophane and looses color in water. i think if you put it in the sun for a while and let it dry out the color should come back. but its better to stick with Australian opal that doesn’t have this problem. Unfortunately jewelers do not inform people about this. Probably because they dont know themselves.
Lastly, here’s from another angle where the stone is quite white, which I think some is natural, but I know some of it is due to wear and scuffs. As you can see, it’s a pretty decent size rock, I just think it must either be poor quality stone or very poorly cared for. If it’s something beyond the scope of what I can do at home, could you give me a quote for polishing it and cleaning it? Thanks!
re: opal ring. Karin just get some silver polish from the hardware store and that will bring up the metal. just polish it with a cotton rag when the polish dries. to polish the stone you will need some tin or cerium oxide and you will have to get that from a lapidary supplies shop. let me know where you live and i will try to recommend someone. Peter
yr ring is rainbow moonstone and a beauty too. i have a lot of rainbow moonstone and its a stunning gemstone. this is 1 of themin 1 of my rings xxx
and heres the same stone from a different angle. looks more white in colour. x
It certainly has some opal features to it
thanks for opal-like pics of rainbow moonstone.
Here’s a picture of underneath so you can see it’s not triplet and the dirt I mentioned. 🙂
Karin although it has a play of colors like opal, i believe its probably mother of pearl shell. Peter
I wondered if it might be mother of pearl, but I didn’t know if it came that thick. I live in Louisville, Kentucky. Anything to help polish it or make it look better would be awesome. Thanks!
I’m so happy I found this thread! I googled “polish opal,” and wound up here. I have a ring that I found in my grandmother’s house after she passed away, and I love unique things, so I snagged it without really looking it over or figuring out what it is. As I was looking more closely, I realized that it’s very, very dirty and very scuffed and cloudy. I’m pretty positive it’s opal, and it’s definitely in sterling silver. It appears to have several cracks and not quite the luminescence nor the clarity that other opals I see have. I wondered if it’s quartz, but it definitely has some of the prism-like properties of opal. So, my question is: A- Do you think it’s opal? B- If it is, is there any way to polish it or is it not worth the hassle because it’s a lower quality. I will wear it, regardless. Like I said, I just like unique things and I love that it came from my grandmother; however if there’s a way to spruce it up or take better care of it? I will post a few pictures.
Karin, i will check your other posts of grandmas ring.
Hi Peter, I would like to ask your advice please regarding this opal ring. Not sure of the age but it does appear to be antique. The surface of the opal is very dull. Is there a way I could safely polish this myself? I live in the middle East ahf it’s quite hard to get hold of products here!
Alternatively, would there be a safe way to courier this ring and some other opal jewellery to you for refurbishment? I have an antique opal bracelet which also requires some replacement opals and polishing.
Thanks in advance,
Rhiannon
Rhiannon, regarding the opal ring pictured. Its suspicious to me that its dull because the claws are quite long and usually settings like this dont allow the opal to come in contact with rough surfaces. It could be that it was never polished properly in the first place and it could be a modern ring with a synthetic opal. But it certainly looks natural. If you want to save a lot of expense i could send you a little pack of Cerium oxide and you could rub it yourself by hand and it should come up bright again. no charge for that. In regard to the bracelet, please submit a picture of that too so that i can tell if it will be easy or not to replace the stones. I want to give you the most economical way of sorting out the problem. Our goal at opalmine is to help first and sales are second. its better for everyone in the long run. How interesting that you live in the middle east. I am totally fascinated with this part of the world. where do you live? best wishes Rhiannon, Peter
Thanks so much Peter for the reply and very kind offer of sending the cerium oxide. I’d like to take you up on that please but really would like to pay you for the cost as I’m sure postage won’t be so cheap! Perhaps you could let me know your email address and I will send you my postal address. I’m in the UAE in Dubai, I moved there from the UK and so far am finding it a great place to live. Although everything is so new and quite futuristic looking, sometimes it doesn’t seem like a real place!
Your comments regarding the ring are interesting. It’s stamped as 18ct and platinum so I assume the opal is real but it is very dull. Hopefully the cerium oxide will do the trick.
I have attached a photo of the bracelet I mentioned, it’s been passed down to me by my grandmother from her grandmother so it is an old piece and one of the opals has a flat surface whilst the others are domed, one is quite dull and one is loose and has sunk into in the setting. It may be best just to leave it as it is but any advice you could offer would be appreciated.
Thanks again,
Rhiannon
I have a pair of black opal earrings when I wore them the other day there was a white area on the stone. Do you know what may have caused this? Thanks in advance for your help
Kay i would say that your opal is a triplet stones which means that it has a crystal cover over the opal. sometimes moisture gets behind this cap and you will see a pale effect over the opal. Try to get a clear picture of the opal from the top and side if possible and post it on this forum. Try to cut out as much of the background as possible and reduce the size of the pic to around 150 kb before posting. i will take a look at it and advise you further. best wishes Kay, peter
Hi i just bought this thw other day for $83 it was originally $455 do you think its real?
Heather, well it certainly looks like a solid opal crystal from the coober pedy opal fields in Australia but there is really no way of telling from a photograph. it could be synthetic opal because the new synthetics are looking more like the real thing. But it certainly looks like a nice ring. peter
Hi Peter,
I would love your opinion on this ring I just inherited from my nan. I believe it to be an Ethiopian Opal as she travelled there many times and i believe around the time of my birth (when she bought the ring).
I think it’s water damaged, she wasn’t great at looking after her jewellery! Is there anything you can recommend to increase its lustre?
Also I want to get it resized, only down by one size, but I’m worried about the risk of cracking, is this increased by the water damage?
I was thinking I might try to get a jeweller to take the whole stone and setting removed from the band and a new slightly smaller band added to negate the risk, would love your knowledgable opinion!
Kind Regards,
Opal
Hi Opal! Hey what a great name you have!! But i dont think this is an African opal. actually as far as i know African opals have really only been on the market in the last ten years or so and up until recently were not used in jewelry because of the cracking problem. but in recent times they have found mines that dont seem to crack as much but they lose their color in water and have to be dried out to get it back. Your opal looks very much like a lightning ridge dark opal from Australia to me, unless there is something i dont know about African opals which could well be the case. It looks to me that all it needs is a good cut and polish which i could do easily without removing the stone from its setting but of course i am in Australia.. but i can show you how to do it yourself. As far as sizing is concerned. if it has to go UP in size it can be done without removing the stone. A good jeweler can size it down too by burying the ring in cold sand or the like. Just trying to save you some money. let me know if you want further help. best wishes Opal, peter PS. sorry for delay in answering. we are doing some work on the site at present and has effected the working of the site.
I have an earring which has an opal triplet. The coating over the opal layer is cracked – and getting worse . . . is there any way to repair this? Two jewelers have told me to use superglue as a top-layer/sealant, but I am hesitant to do so . . .
Brigitte for opal triplets its not worth the time and effort to try to fix them. Probably better to just get them replaced. Please give me the size of the stones and the approximate color and I will give you a price. If the opals are claw set, its not difficult to replace them yourself or get a handyman to help you. I can show you how to do it. However if they are bezel set its more difficult. Just give me a bit more information. Pleased to help if i can. Peter
regarding opal inquiry. i believe i have answered this already but dont see it here. please contact me again if necessary. peter
Yanet, which pink opals are you referring to? que los ópalos rosa te refieres? peter
I just received this opal as an engagement ring last week. I was just hoping for some more information on the type of opal and if it requires any special care.
sorry for the delay. in regard to your opal. its a crystal opal. a beautiful stone. not sure of its origin. if its from Australia, no problems in putting it in water but if from Africa, keep it out of water as it will lose its color. color usually comes back when dried but just to be sure. Peter
Hi Peter! I’m hoping you can help me identify the stone in a ring I just inherited! My uncle claims it’s an opal…but I don’t agree. The ring is set in silver and is roughly 100 years old. I will be taking it to a jeweler soon, along with other antique rings, but the mystery of the stone is driving me crazy in the meantime!
Thank you for any assistance!
Hi Marcy. well its not Australian opal that’s for sure but there are some opals from south american which are different colors but with no play of color. Green stones are usually crysoprase or peridot but its a different green. maybe a type of Jade. that’s about the best i can say.
Someone commented on how they liked my opal ring today. I never knew what it was called before, so i started to research it and came across your website. I was wondering if you can tell me if it looks like a real opal or synthetic. I vaguely remember the person who gave it to me say it was his grandmothers. Any info at all that you could give me would be appreciated. Thanks in advance
Sara, sorry about the delay in commenting on your opal ring. it certainly looks like a solid crystal opal from the Coober Pedy opal mines in South Australia and if its an old ring it certainly would be real but if more modern, some synthetic opals look like the real thing. hope that helps, peter
Hi this is my engagement ring it started off a lovely colour but now has gone very yellow and dull I was just conferring if there is any way I can get it looking a better colour again
Sophie, it looks like your opal ring is of the same in origin to Megans ring that i just wrote about in this forum. Please read it, then please go to https://plus.google.com/102995504959810313699/about?hl=en and give us some comments and a rating. it just helps us to keep giving this service.
Thank you I have left it on the windowsill and its cleared up still a little yellow tho
Sophie its still not good enough. i suggest you continue to let the opal dry out but not in the direct sun in case it cracks. if the color doesnt come back, i suggest you ask for a replacement stone or a refund. But better get my advice before accepting another stone. you need to get an australian opal. preferably a boulder opal
My boyfriend got me this ring at Christmas and it’s gone from the colour on the right to the one on the left in a month. I take it off when I do any washing/cleaning. Is there anything I can do to get the colour back?
Megan, it looks like you have an African opal, not Australian. These opals are hydrophane which means that when you put them in water, the color can either change or disappear. If you completely dry the ring out the color should return. Maybe put it in the sun for a while but dont overheat it. if the color does not return to original, you should take the ring back to the supplier and complain. Then you should get them to replace the stone with an Australian opal. just contact me peter AT opalmine dot com for assistance with this. Happy to give you this free service but Please go to https://plus.google.com/102995504959810313699/about?hl=en and give us some comments and a rating. it just helps us to keep giving this service. thanks Megan, Peter
i have a triplate opal ring that belonged to my mother. It is about 30 years old and has lost its lustre. A jeweller has given me aquote to polish it and I am wondering if this is the best way to renew the ring. Thank you.
anne i would need to see a picture of the opal before making a comment but i would guess that the crystal cap has some moisture under it and all the polishing in the world wont help. but i need to see it. Peter
I store my opal ring in a safe, in a tiny ziploc bag which also contains a damp piece of cotton. Over many many months, some discoloration typically occurs to the edges of the cotton. Perhaps this is mold growth?
I have just removed the old cotton, and replaced it with a new swab imbued with isopropyl rubbing alcohol (to discourage mold) and filtered water.
Will the rubbing alcohol harm the opal, sealed as it is in the tiny ziploc? The stone is mounted open-back, and is a solid opal, small, greenish, and quite fiery, surrounded by seed pearls, and possibly of Victorian origin.
Many thanks for maintaining this web site, and for your time considering my question!
Pleased to comment on your opal Ivy. Actually it would be a good idea to post a picture of it here so that i can be more accurate in my advice. but generally speaking, if its a crystal opal its not a bad idea to keep it in water. Actually, putting it in a small jar of water would be even safer, with maybe a dash of metho (wood alcohol) to keep it nice and fresh. but this is only necessary if its crystal or dark opal from some fields. boulder opal and most black opal would be fine. I say this because you said it was an old stone. if it were a recent purchase i would advise you to keep it right away from water because some crystal opal coming out of Ethiopia loses color in water because it is hydrophane. it is said that it comes back after drying but i am uneasy about that. Just a request Ivy. if you would like to please go to https://plus.google.com/102995504959810313699/about?hl=en and follow us with a star rating and some comments if you like. this just helps us in the google search and enables ongoing service to the international community. but please send a pic for further checking. best wishes Ivy, Peter
Thank you for your reply, Peter. This is definitely not an Ethiopian opal (I have seen them), so it sounds like it’ll be OK in the ziploc, unless there is a problem with isopropyl alcohol. The isopropyl alcohol is there to kill mold. If possible, I’d rather not go out and buy an entire bottle of wood alcohol just to kill mold for a tiny ring. –>Unless there is a problem with isopropyl alcohol and opals.<–
I'll try to upload a photo, but that might take a while!
ivy i have never used isopropal for this purpose. its only used for electronic parts as far as i know and is a very powerful fluid. metho is cheap. maybe a couple of dollars a bottle and safe. but if its working for you just keep doing it.
Thanks, Peter! Will look into the wood alcohol.
last shot
did you pay 1100 for the opal ring? i think its a good price
another view
Mary the opals look real. i cannot tell the diamonds of course but i would say they would be real. i think you got a great bargain! Just pour some washing up detergent on it and give it a good scrub with an old tooth brush on the top and inside the ring and it will brighten up the diamonds. congratulations! peter
PS. by the way Mary let me know if you would like to make some comments about our service online. just email me peter AT opalmine dot com
I bought an opal ring off ebay and was told it was natural opals and diamonds. They were from an estate sale. However I received the ring today and the opals look so colorful I feel it’s too pretty to be in my price range to be natural. Whats your thoughts? Natural or fake? If real, what type of opal do you think it is? and lastly, the diamonds look like they need a good cleaning but its extremely hard to get to them from the mounting. Any suggestions? THANK YOU!
Thank you Peter! I have found a small amount of the powder on Ebay so ‘ve ordered that. Can I use a cotton bud or just cotton fabric?
thats great Sarah! you can try cotton buds but it needs to be a rough rag so that you allow the paste to cut a little. but just experiment.
I have recently purchased a vintage 9ct gold & silver Opal dress/cocktail ring from an antique shop. It was cloudy and dirty when I purchased it, but just through washing my hands the opal is sparkly and silver less tarnished. It is a solid opal, but I can feel there are hairline scratches on the surface of the opal – is there any way to remove these. I spoke to a jewellery store, but because this is an antique dress ring, the stones have been cemented in place, so his machine wouldn’t be safe to use (knock the stones out the settings). Any advice on cleaning and removing the scratches would be really appreciated – I just love this ring! (The opal is 1cm x 8mm)
Sarah, regarding your opal ring. Yes, there is a way of taking out the scratches but you will have to find a lapidary (stone cutting supply) shop in your area. just go online and search for ‘lapidary supplies’ or ‘rock hound supplies’ and see if you have one close by. or you can mail order from a larger supplier online. you need to get some cerium oxide powder. the problem will be that you only need a little. make a paste out of it and just rub it on your opal using a cotton cloth. Better still, maybe there is a rock hound club in your area. Those guys are usually very helpful. Thats the best i can suggest. oh..if you want to do us a favor, please follow and rate opalmine by clicking here
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peter
Ok one or two more ….. I promise
Black opal but if this is part of the parcel you just sent, it suggests to me that its more likely to be from Nevada in the USA because the quality of this opal is really beautiful and if it were from lightning ridge in Australia, could be worth many thousands of dollars but i detect that it has been kept in water because it is still rough opal but has a shine to it. there are many beautiful black opals in the american mines but usually they are not suitable for jewelry because of the cracking problem. Hence they are kept as specimens, in water. this is only my opinion and without checking carefully i could be wrong. but that’s the impression i get. Sorry… i just noticed that you said they had been kept in oil. well its the same principle. to stop them from cracking. oil wont hurt them.
Sorry, I just want to make sure I understood correctly……. You mentioned that you would be emailing me, and that from your email you would like better zoomed in pictures of the Opals that I have requested more info from…,..Is that Correct?
Last close-up I hope…..
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peter
And another close-up
The opal is too small to be identified
Here are a few close-ups as well. Thanks Again, Taffy Tokich
the opal could be from Coober Pedy or Lightning Ridge. difficult to say
Hi Peter,
I am hoping you can give some information such as value, Opal type, and care for quite a few Rough Opals, Some loose and set polished opals as well? I hope I haven’t ruined my opals, as they have been stored ib a container of other rocks soaked with Baby Oil! Please if you can ….. Which I would greatly appreciate your expertise
Taffy regarding your rough opal. its really difficult to see what you have. you need better quality macro pictures to check. i will send you an email and you can get some better shots to email to me. just cut down any excess background and reduce them in size to around 100kb each. Peter … addition… no need to email or send extra shots. the later ones you sent allowed me to comment.
Last year, I inherited several Opal rings after my mother passed. One in particular I know was my great grandmother, the problem is that the stone has a cloudy appearance, is there anything I can do for this ring to get the cloudy appearance gone?
Jessica. regarding the opal with a cloudy appearance. it sounds like you have an opal triplet and the cloudiness is because the cap may have some moisture behind it because it has probably been used for a long time in wash-up or other water based activities. usually its ok but if done to excess it can cause this problem. not to say that this is so because i haven’t seen the ring, but this is my guess. If you like, you can post a picture on this forum. just make sure the size of the pic is cut down to email size. perhaps 100 to 500 kb . this will give me a better idea. Peter
I apologize for the large pictures. I thought I got them down to size but obviously it didn’t turn out right. Also, is it okay to wash my hands with this ring on?
No problem Corine. opal ring pictures are fine. Also, ok to wash your hands with it on but keep in mind that you need to avoid knocking it against anything hard such as plates, or ceramic sinks. just be a bit careful of it and dont wear it working because you can crack it. hope that helps. you have a lovely ring. best wishes, peter
The jeweler thought it may be around the time of 1950s. Inside the ring is says 1925 so it should be sterling silver.
not sure of the opal setting age but i think the stamp would read 925 which means its sterling silver.
Oh you are right! It does say 925. Hard to read such tiny print. If you had to guess a fair value for it in US what would you say?
corine, i would say that this opal ring in silver would sell for around $300 if the sapphires are genuine. no way of telling.
I bought this ring today from an antique store. Opal surrounded by dark sapphires. What type of opal is it and what type of care would be best for it?
Corine, your opal looks like an opaque white solid opal from the Coober Pedy fields. its a nice contrast between the white stone and the dark sapphires. peter
Hi there,
I have an Ethiopian opal ring which has changed colour to a dark yellow permanently. Do you have any idea how or why this happend? Thank you
yes, this is called hydrophane opal and it loses color when put in water but it should come back. try putting it under a warm light and keep an eye on it. Better to only buy Australian opal. but post a picture of it here and i will help as much as i can. peter
regarding opal change of color. did i answer you about this before? let me know. peter
The same thing happened to my Ethiopian opal. But I put it in water and it went back to the milky color and the flashes of green and red returned. So now I am confused. Water actually made mine better. So did it discolor due to drying out?
Carolyn. regarding your Ethiopian opal. All i know is that they are called hydrophane opals which means i believe that they are quite porous. putting them in water is supposed to make the color disappear so i dont understand why the opposite seems to be happening with yours. I really only know Australian opals which dont have that problem. The closest thing we have here is Andamooka matrix opal which is porous and is carbon treated to make it look like black opal. But its not popular and hardly ever seen on the market.
will you tell me the proper way to clean my opal ring?
Sasha, regarding your opal ring, please give me a few more details. If it just needs a clean you can use ordinary dish washing detergent but if it has lost its shine or has scratches, it needs a cut and polish and this has to be done by experiences opal cutters. Let me know where you live and i might be able to recommend someone if this is the case. hope this helps. best wishes, Peter
thats great news Shauna. African opals are very beautiful but they can lose their color but as far as i know it comes back after they dry out. better to keep them out of water.
I put my opal ring in a cleaner to clean the diamonds. I forgot about it and found it several days later. The opal has turned a clear yellow color. I feel sick, that I ruined my opal ring that I bought on our alaskan curise at a shop. I probably paid to much, but I’ve always wanted one. Is there anything I can do to bring back the fire. Thanks!
Shauna, sorry for the late reply. i would say you have an Ethiopian opal not Australian and when you put them in water the color disappears because they are porous stones. i would try putting it in sunlight for a while. not too hot but the water should evaporate and the color should come back. i hope this helps. in future, make sure your opals are Australian. its very disappointing when this happens. If the color doesn’t come back let me know and i will do my best to help. Peter
The fire has returned the ring. Thanks for your help. Are these type of opals lesser quality, I don’t know much about them.
Thanks, Shauna
Lorna, the two on the left look like solids. the one on the right looks like a triplet unless you got an outstanding bargain. if its solid its worth many thousands of dollars but i cant see because the pics are not clear enough and its in a setting. to check you have to look at the stone from the side and to do that you have to take it out of the setting. peter
Hi Peter, i’m uploading 3 files. One is the opal necklace with a black background, the colour there is how it looked before I had it made into a pendant, although because it’s transparent now it only has these colour from the black behind. The other two pictures are taken from two different angles so you can see the colour. In the first it’s pretty much a transparent brown colour, and in the second when it catches the light the green flecks become visible.Sorry these pics aren’t very clear, are these ok to check?
Hi Peter, please can you advise: I bought a loose opal stone, small size, i’m 99% sure it was solid, I checked it from every angle. It was a black colour when I bought it, with vivid greens and blues inside. I had in set into a gold setting (mount setting with open back), but when I went to collect it the stone had gone totally transparent. It still had the colours inside when it catches the light, but I can see through it now. Do you know what’s caused this, or if there’s anything I can do?
Loma regarding your opal. if you would like me to take a look please post some good quality pictures here but crop them so that they dont have a lot of space around them and reduce the size to around 500 pixels. i will take a look and let you know what i think. best wishes, peter
I have a large 2×1 cm opal ring that has broken, cracked along the top 3rd, can I have it reshaped so I can have it reset ??
Nichola, regarding your damaged opal: Pleased to advise you about this problem. i can do pretty well anything with opals but will need to see pictures first to give you the right advice. I will send you a contact email and we can talk about it direct. in the meantime, please post a picture on this forum so i can take a look. Keep the pixel size down to around 1000. if you are not good at editing graphics, let me know. peter
Hi Peter,
The information here is so useful, thank you so much for this site.
I’ve recently put a small deposit on a boulder opal ring at a well-known opal musem/store in Sydney, but only since then I’ve been told opals are soft styles that can be tricky to care for. The ring I’m buying is a brilliant blue colour but the underside is the colour of normal some and has a crack running along it.
The crack doesn’t show through to the front of the ring and I asked about it in the store and they said that our would be fine and is very solid.
So now I’m a bit concerned. It’s a beautiful ring but will be the most expensive thing I’ve ever bought, so I won’t be happy if it falls apart! I’ll be leaving Australia soon after I collect the ring too, so I’m unlikely to take it back of anything happens.
Do you think this is cause for concern?
Lauren regarding your boulder opal ring. if you would like you can post a picture of it here for a start. i will send you an email and do what i can to help. no problems.