Opal novice, waving hello from the Monterey Peninsula

[Viva]

"Why, yes - yes I did buy an opal without doing research!" Look forward to learning from experienced opalholics.

[PinkDiamond]

LOL, good for you Viva, and welcome to this merry band of opalholics. I venture to say we've all done that before we learned the ropes, but with opals you're pretty safe unless you were sold a synthetic without it being disclosed as lab=grown. What kind of opal did you buy, and where's it from, do you know? Feel free to ask any questions and we'll do our best to answer them. and again, welcome to the forum.

[Viva]

PinkDiamond - Thanks for the welcome! I purchased a large (almost 11 carat) Welo opal... a fat oval cabochon. I assume it's from Ethiopia, but was shipped from Indonesia. Surprises with big colors in the right light and didn't break the bank! It's very sedate when it's flashing. Not bad for a first try, but it would be great to see opal in person before buying.

[Viva]

Correction: It's very sedate when it's *not* flashing. It plays hide and seek with the chunky rainbows. Much of the time you wouldn't know what's lurking in there.

[PinkDiamond]

LOL! She's sleeping.

You made an excellent choice Viva, good job. Did the seller advise you as to whether the opal is sealed or not, and are you aware that most Ethiopian opals are hydrophane, meaning their matrix is porous and they will absorb liquids if not sealed? I'm not suggesting you have it sealed, but if you set it in a ring you might consider it so the appearance of the opal doesn't change when you wash your hands, assuming you don't remove jewelry before doing so, which is dangerous in public restrooms since you might drop it or forget to put it back on after drying your hands. Hydrophane opals can also be affected by lotions, body oils and any liquids, and if unsealed you really don't want to get them wet repeatedly since the drying process can craze an opal if it dries unevenly, plus you don't know if water will cloud the opal and mask the colors, or make it turn water-clear leaving only the colors floating as the matrix seems to disappear. Also, be careful of sudden changes in temperature, whether hot or cold, which can shock an opal a cause it to craze or fracture, so I don't advise wearing the opal if you're leaning into a hot oven.

I congratulate you on your purchase, and hope you get much pleasure from it for years to come, and maybe even get to pass it on as a family heirloom someday. I also hope you'll show us the finished piece after you have it set.

And you're through the screening process now, so your posts will appear on the Board when you submit them right away, and you now have access to the private messages, so basically what I'm saying is you've got full run of the forum now, so congratulations and have fun.

[SwordfishMining]

Hiya Viva. Welcome to the forum. Some mail order does not turn out so well. I bought a bunch of things in my life due to FOMO & am glad i did. You would be amazed at how many minerals show up from a new location one year at the show & then only resale from then on. I wonder if they dont cut more Indonesian opals than they let on about.

[Viva]

The description said "100% natural welo opal, without any treatment. I'll definitely bring the sealing up when I get to the actual ring making - thanks for that helpful info!

[PinkDiamond]

My pleasure! That's what we're here for, and we all want your opal to look great over time so your opalholism is continually fed. Will you buy any more opals to make jewelry for yourself or gifts for others?

[SwordfishMining]

You know that sealing thing was sort of put to bed as there is not an industrial solution to hydrophane. Most opal you see is untreated as the price plummets when it is. Now burning on a cerium oxide finish is semantics.
I should explain; The tin & silica melt to form a sort of glass layer that is not opal or cerium, but acts as a polish and sealing the surface somewhat or totally. Australian opals are less heat sensitive like Brazillian and rarely are hydrophane during polishing. "Volcanic" Opals: Tin Tin Bar, Wolo, Mexican, American, Czech are the most heat sensitive, ie crazing on the points. Matrix you can bounce rough off the ground like treated Virgin Valley Wood. Dont do that with a finished stone tho as opal is fragile in thin sections.