How to Treat Opal Jewelry

Opal can be inlaid in jewelry as an accent or featured as a centerpiece.

Opal is a silicate mineral more than 60 million years old. Mined in Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Mexico, Nevada and Idaho, more than 90 percent of the world's opals come from southern Australia. Known as a "living" stone, opal must be protected from heat and and chemicals that dry it, causing the gem to lose its iridescence and develop crazing and cracking. Caring for it properly will keep it looking lustrous for years.

Things You'll Need

• Silk or cotton cloth

Instructions

1. Wear your opal jewelry often. Touch it often. The natural oils in your skin keep the opal "moist" and lustrous.

2. Keep the opal jewelry out of water, especially water containing detergents. Opals contain water and soap can dry out the stone. Also, the heat and chemicals in hot tubs, swimming pools, saunas, steam rooms, bathtubs or showers will destroy opals. Do not wear it while gardening, since continuous contact with the soil can wear away its surface.

3. Clean opal jewelry by wiping it with a soft, clean dry cloth of silk or cotton. Never clean it in ultrasonic machines or with toothpaste or any other chemical cleaner. Don't store it in oil or glycerin.

Tips & Warnings

• When you're not wearing your opal jewelry, keep it in your jewelry box.

References

• Jewelry Mall: Opal Jewelry
• Australian Opals: Caring for Opals