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Opal Jewelry


Opal is a unique and gorgeous gemstone known for its radiant play-of-color. This play-of-color occurs when light reflects off of silica chips present in the stone. Versatile opal easily complements many metal colors, but it looks especially lovely set in yellow or rose gold. It also pairs well with many colored gemstones. Opal is October's birthstone, making opal jewelry such as rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings a memorable birthday gift. One thing is for sure - no other gemstone is quite like opal.

Color: Multicolored opal is typically white with colorful flecks, known as play-of-color. The base color can range widely as well. Warm base colors are rarer and more valuable than cool colors.

Durability: This gemstone has fair to poor toughness. Because they have no regular crystalline structure and often contain a high percentage of water, opals should be treated with care.

Opal Jewelry Care


Is Opal Jewelry Safe for Normal Wear?
Opal is a very popular and gorgeous gemstone known for its flecks of color and play of light. Opal jewelry does, however, require extra care due to the very poor to fair toughness of the gemstone. Opals can be very prone to breaking or scratching. Remove opal jewelry before handling household chemicals, and avoid intense light or drastic temperature changes.

How to Clean Opal Jewelry
Mild soap and warm water is a safe way to clean opal jewelry, but avoid soaking. Do not clean by steam, in an ultrasonic cleaner, or with any harsh cleaning agents. KAY has a gentle cleaner or cleaning wipes that are gentle enough to use on opal jewelry. Natural opal jewelry often is treated in ways that are not compatible with other jewelry cleaning methods. Speak to a KAY associate if you are unsure and take advantage of KAY's free jewelry cleaning services.

How to Clean Ethiopian Opal Jewelry
Ethiopian Opals should not be cleaned with warm soapy water because of its hydrophane nature. It could cause contamination if any of the residue remains in the opal after drying. Trapped residue could change the gemstone's color, negatively affect transparency, or cause internal cracking. If your Ethiopian Opal gets wet, the color and transparency will change temporarily but revert to its original color as it dries over a few days.

How to Store Opal Jewelry
Wrap your opal jewelry in a soft cloth and keep away from jewelry with harder gemstones, like sapphires and diamonds, to avoid scratches. If you live in a desert climate, it is advisable to store your Ethiopian Opal jewelry in a small zip lock bag with a damp cotton ball to provide a little moisture and avoid it drying out.
 

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