How to care for your Opals
Opals are more delicate than other gems like diamonds and sapphires. They require a little more care and tender treatment when worn. Opal, like any other gemstone, can be broken, chipped, scratched, or lose its shine with heavy wear and tear. Prolonged exposure to harsh detergents and other chemicals can damage or "dry out" the stone. Be particularly careful about exposing opals and sterling silver to chlorine or chlorine bleach which will affect it. It's best and we highly recommend that you remove your Opal jewelry when playing sports, gardening and performing household tasks like washing dishes and showering. Try to avoid knocking or scraping your Opal as this may damage it. Due to it's delicate nature we do not recommend that Opal jewelry, particularly Opal rings be worn every day. Although you may choose to, we do not recommend and would tend to discourage Opal rings being worn as Engagement or Wedding rings simply because they are not nearly as hard as diamonds and sapphires and they are more prone to damage from everyday knocking or scratching. Opal rings are best worn as dress rings for special occasions rather than for every day wear just around the house.
HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR ETHIOPIAN OPALS
Keep Your Ethiopian Opals Away from Water and Liquids.
Ethiopian Opals are "hydrophane", which makes them thirsty for water. If the opals come in contact with water, they will absorb it like a sponge. If the opals are left in water and allowed to soak it up, they may lose their fire temporarily and turn yellow or brown. But don't worry, the fire and colour will come back once the opals have been rinsed clean of chemicls and fully dried, which can take a few minutes to weeks, depending on how much water they managed to absorb.
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