[Jewelry making - Article 00970] - Re: [Orchid] Store Opals

[Peter W . Rowe]

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>     Some say store opals in oil, some say in water, some say neither 

Delores,

    Opals contain a small amount of water as part of their structure,
    but it's bound physically, not chemically, like water in a sponge. 
    So in cases where opals have a higher water content, some can be
    prone to cracking or crazing if they dry out.  This tendancy is
    generally related to the location the opals came from.  Most
    Australian stones are quite resistant to spontaneous crazing, since
    the water content is not high. 

    Some, like Idaho opal, are so high in water content that it's almost
    impossible to cut a solid stone and expect it to survive any length
    of time without crazing.  (These can be used to cut triplets
    instead).  And some, like mexican fire opal, falls in between,
    meaning some will crack, others will not. 

    If you store opals in water, then obviously while they're in water,
    they won't dry out.  But this won't restore opals that have started
    to dry out, nor prevent future problems.  Most folks using the stones
    store them in air, in either stone papers or other sorts of displays,
    or zip locks, or whatever.  The main thing is to store them in decent
    conditions.  Don't put them in a sunny window display case where
    they'll get hot, for example.  But other than that, no special
    measures should be needed.  Among other things, in the event that an
    opal is going to craze, it would be better that it happens while it's
    in your inventroy still, rather than after some customer buys it and
    then is dissatisfied with your merchandise.  So having the stone in
    your inventory for a while can be viewed as proofing the stone... 

    You read now and then about storing opals, especially loose ones, in
    oil. You can do that if you wish, but all it does is get them oily. 
    Doesn't protect them, and can, if the oil isn't clean, penetrate
    matrix areas or cracks, carrying in dirt or whatever, and once it's
    done that, you'll have a hard time cleaning it. 

    One thing sometimes used, that is very much NOT a good idea, is
    glycerine, which one other poster, I notice, actually suggested. 
    Glycerine is hydroscopic, meaning it strongly attracts water. 
    Storing a stone in glycerine is about the same as putting it in an
    extremely dry desert environment,  and maybe worse. That's just
    begging the stone to dry out and craze. 

    46or my part, I figure this is a gem intended for use in jewelery,
    which I expect my customers to be able to store and use in a normal
    manner.  So that's how I store my stones as well.  Mine are in the
    little plastic foam filled gem boxes. Any that don't survive are
    either recut or tossed.  Not many have met that fate over the years,
    and I've had some, obviously poor sellers, that have been in that
    display case for over 25 years, with no trouble other than the fact
    that I've not made money off of them... 

Peter


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