Care of Opal jewelery

Opal is a fragile gemstone. It has a hardness of 5.5 to 6.5 and is located in the Mohs scale of hardness in the midfield. He should take but definitely at work. Otherwise, an opal holds for itself. But there are differences in the individual opaline (see elsewhere). General boulder are seen as the most resistant.

1. Very important: The Opal will be worn. Opals are hydrated.
   By wearing the opal is always given a little moisture. Contact with skin ranges often already. Body fats, oils or even cosmetic damage the opal is not so much as is generally
   accepted as the main ingredient (silica) is chemically quite stable. Only in the application of hair spray should be Opal jewelery previously filed as may be contained in the hair spray solvents and other chemicals.
2. Opal after wearing clean with lukewarm water. Jewelry is cleaned too often. For this one can use a mild detergent, if deemed necessary. BUT never sharp or abrasive or corrosive cleaning agents, and always rinse with clear water! Then allow to air dry.
3. Opals do not like extreme temperature fluctuations. Do not heat in the winter after the snow ball fight the hands of the fireplace. Fluctuations in temperatures of minus 15 to 25 degrees can crack the Opal
4. Opal is not in fabric-lined containers, cans, boxes retain your. The fabric cut the opal the moisture. A plastic box with moist cotton wool is recommended only if the cotton does not dry out here. Otherwise, the cotton wool attracts the moisture from the Opal.
   On the existence of the opal at normal humidity of a room is reserved, not on the heater and in a shady area near a vase with water and flowers. Dry air should be avoided. In the sun the temperature would not be the problem, but the incidence of related evaporation.
5. To duplicate the same rules apply. Only when washing one should hold back and not put the duplicate in water. In the long run, the adhesive dissolves between the layers. Triplette, however, are less sensitive, as the opal can not come into contact with dry air. But here too much moisture can damage the adhesive between the layers of stone.