Jewelry Care/ Opal Care and Info. Damaged Jewelry and GemStones.

Please read below for a list of information regarding care information on my gemstone jewelry. At the bottom is information on Broken or Damaged Jewelry.

 

General Jewelry Care:

Please care for your jewelry well. Please note that many gemstones don’t like to be submerged in water for very long. It does harm their chemistry if done on a daily basis can crack a stone, make it become dull or scratch it. To keep your jewelry nice and to have a long life don’t wear it in the shower or while washing your hands. Please take off your opal jewelry so it does not get wet. NO harsh chemicals, lotions and soaps while handling your opal jewelry. 

I can repair your jewelry if something does happen to it, however I do charge for ALL repairs and or replacing stones. 

Opal care:

To keep your jewelry nice and to have a long life don’t wear it in the shower or while washing your hands. Please take off your opal jewelry so it does not get wet. NO harsh chemicals, lotions and soaps while handling your opal jewelry. Don't put your opal jewelry in cleaner solutions, hydrosonic jewelry cleaners or around high heat.

You can clean your opals with a soft jewelry cloth or brush. To deep clean warm water and mild soap works. Let your opal air dry before wearing. 

Ethiopian Opal is a more stable Opal than others. They are not so fragile when it comes to heat changes. **Opals are not a super soft stone (5.5-6.5 Mohs, **for comparison Turquoise is 5-6). Opal is durable and not commonly prone to cracking. Cracking more or less depends on the cut of the stone and how it was stabilized prior to it being cut. Opals are wonderful gemstones that do not lose any value and are perfect heirloom pieces. Please note that you should always care for your opals, but do not leave them in oil or water. Do not clean them with harsh chemicals or ultrasonic cleaning.  

What is a doublet? Or Triplet:

Almost all of my opals are solid but a few say Opal Doublets or Triplets. You might be wondering what exactly is an Opal Doublet or Triplet, so let me explain. Opal Doublets are stones partially altered by opal cutters for a number of reasons. The main reasons are to; offer beautiful looking stones at more affordable prices, to alter shapes to fit jewellery settings better and to make expensive stones that would normally only make 1 piece of jewellery into many pieces of jewellery. Doublets consist of two layers (Opal and The backing) which are adhered together by glue. Most backing is brown ironstone (found with Boulder opals) or black potch.
Doublets are real opals. Please don’t constantly submerge doublets in water.

Opal Triplets follow the same steps as a doublet but they have a clear quartz cap over the Opal. So it’s an extra layer of protection for the Opal. So in total it’s 3 layers for a triplet, Backing, Opal and Capping.
Opal doublets and Triplets are great gems for everyday use.

 

Damaged or Broken Jewelry:

 

If your jewelry is broken or damaged after it is in your care please notify me. I may be able to get you a replacement stone. I do charge for ALL replacements, shipping and repairs depending on the damage. Please take pictures of your jewelry and email them to me along with a detailed message. Do not send me your jewelry without discussing the details prior it will be sent back with our repairs. You are responsible for all shipping charges.