Let’s break it down.  How do you need to take care of your opals and why do they need special care?  I mean, it’s easy to look at an opal and assume that it’s just a pretty rock, so it should be durable enough to withstand being worn daily in a piece of jewelry.  Unfortunately though, this isn’t the case.  

For starters, an opal is only about a 5.0-6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, which measures on a scale from 1-10 how scratch resistant a stone is.  Knowing that, a piece of opal is bound to get scratched, which can be devastating for this kind of stone.  Opals can get what is known as “crazing,” which is essentially a spiderweb of cracks throughout the stone.  While causing overall durability issues in the piece itself, crazing can also affect our favorite part of an opal: the colors!

Opal is known for its stunning play of color, but how exactly does this happen?  Well, opals are made up of rows of microscopic silica beads.  When white light enters the stone and passes through these beads, it causes the light to separate out into a rainbow of colors, which we then see on the outside of the stone.  Remember the Pink Floyd album cover?  It’s that but with gemstones!

All that to say, it is important to treat your opals with care.  Take them off when you sleep or shower, and stop by to let us check them every once in a while!  

Stay in the know, 

Jewelry Girl