[Jewelry making - Article 00254] - Re: [Orchid] Restoring finish to opal

[Taylor]

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>     opals do not 're-saturate'.  Once the internal fluids have
>     dissapated, they will not take on moisture again.  When ladies
>     wear their opals for doing dishes, they sometimes turn slightly to
>     a yellowish color on the surface  but the internal structure
>     remains the same.

    Thanks for the information Don, I had always believed (was taught)
    Opals were starved for water and would take on additional moisture
    until the arranged silicon structure was saturated causing the milky
    or faded effect - even complete loss of fire. This is an interesting
    topic; it looks like I have some research to do. 

Cheers, 
Taylor in Toronto

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