[Jewelry making - Article 00277] - Re: [Orchid] Opal Setting?

[Rick Martin]

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>     The problem had been caused because the owner wore it all the
>     time, doing gardening, washing dishes, swimming etc. and the
>     surface had absorbed a great deal of water with dissolved salts.
>     The water had evaporated from the stone leaving the salts behind -
>     rather like a kettle furring up. 

    There is a type of opal called hydrophane that can absorb quite a
    bit of water.  But it works in reverse of that scenario: it loses its
    play of color when it dehydrates and flashes back to life when water
    is restored.  It's mainly a curiosity and not a type of opal used
    commercially as a gem.  The idea of a fine black opal losing its
    brilliant play of color for the reasons suggested is nearly
    impossible in my opinion.  Black opal from Australia is one of the
    most stable and least hygroscopic (thirsty) of all opals. 

    I've only been cutting, setting and selling opals for a bit over 40
    years, so I probably have quite a bit yet to learn.  Still, in all
    those years I have not once seen gem-quality opal damaged or
    discolored in any way by water or water-borne agents, including
    grease or oil,  although I keep reading that it happens.  I'm not
    saying it isn't possible but you'd think I'd have run into just one
    example in that time. 

    What I have seen, repeatedly, are opals in rings that have been
    scratched to the point that their play of color is nearly invisible. 
    Simple repolishing restores them to their original splendor.  Opal is
    roughly the same hardness as glass.  It is scratched by ordinary dust
    made up of minerals like silica. An opal worn while digging in garden
    dirt or washing dishes is certain to to be scratched and lose its
    polish over time. 

    The owner of that valuable opal is lucky to have avoided the
    disaster suffered by a 1+ carat diamond I took in for a repair job
    recently.  The owner, also an avid gardener who never removed her
    ring, had managed to break a large chunk off the pavilion just below
    the girdle.  The fine F-color stone was beyond recutting to anything
    close to its original size. 

    Some of the comments about opal I've read here the past week or so
    have left me pounding on walls and howling at the moon!  Any jeweler
    who has the chutzpah to sell tanzanite should never, under any
    circumstances, complain about the "fragility" of opal!  Opal, like
    far softer gems including pearls, requires reasonable care in the
    wearing and handling. 

    It is the job of the jeweler to make certain customers are fully and
    factually informed about their purchases. To do that, they must
    first inform themselves and not endlessly repeat myths as fact.  They
    should start by studying a few basic books like Fred Ward's excellent
    "Opals," now out in an updated edition. His chapter on "Buying and
    Caring for Opal" is a must-read. There are several other very fine
    modern books about opal, and I look forward to seeing Orchid
    contributor Richard Wise's new opal book when it is published.  He
    has written with expertise and authority on many gem subjects.  

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