[Jewelry making - Article 00105] - Re: [Orchid] Cleaning Opals

[Nancy Howland]

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    I've been following the discussion about opals and glycerin vs.
    mineral oil.  About 20 years ago, we bought a peach-colored precious
    fire opal from a vendor in Cancun, Mexico.  The vendor had hundreds
    of cabochons in a variety of stones, but only two same size large
    opals.  We selected a pendant setting and returned the next day to
    pick it up.  It was beautiful.  However, at the hotel an hour later,
    all of the play of color was gone and the stone felt oily.  When
    placed in water, all of the flash colors returned, but disappe ared
    again within minutes out of the water.  The next day we returned to
    the vendor to show him the stone.  After much discussion (in
    Spanish) with the person who set the stone, we were told the setter
    used mineral oil to push the stone into the setting.  The vendor
    exchanged the damaged stone for the good one.  The original Orchid
    comment was that the person didn't know if the opal was in glycerin
    or mineral oil, but that the opal flash was still there.  Does this
    mean that it is glycerin rather than the mineral oil (which caused
    our stone to lose its flash)?  Just curious. 

Nancy


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