[Jewelry making - Article 00158] - [Orchid] Working with opals

[Rebecca Ziersch]

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    Hi my name is rebecca ziersch. I am a jeweller and have recently
    found a new job working with opals. However this is an area i need
    to learn about. I know that opals need to be kept moist, and
    shouldn't be exposed to heat. But i was wondering what the effect of
    methylated spirits would be on an opal stone. Although i haven't
    found any conclusive answers to this, i would assume that this would
    be a bad idea. 

    The reason i ask, is that when i usually set my stones, i secure the
    piece sticking it onto a shellack stick while pushing over the bezel
    or claws. But to take the piece of the shellack it needs to be
    heated slightly, and then soaked in methylated spirits to remove the
    shellack. 

    So basically, my question is, can i use shellack to secure an piece
    to be set with opals? Will using metho affect the opal? Is there
    another way to remove the shellack instead of metho? If i can't use
    any of these methods, how do i secure a piece to be set with opals?
    If you have any solutions, please let me know. you can contact me on:
    beczed AT hotmail.com 

thank you very much, 
kind regards, 
rebecca.

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