HELP! Opal storage

[Nicrez]

In an attempt to properly store opals long-term, I considered cotton bags to allow moisture, unlike the ziplock type bags my friend had been using for all her jewelery in a safety deposit box. Do such storage bags exist for Opals? How do people properly store them to avoid crazing?

Also, she may have some crazing, how can you tell if it''s not just a color bar?

 

[OTTB]

nicrez - i've heard never to store opals in a safety deposit box, as the air is too dry and stagnant. to be honest, i don't know how it's much different from storing in a safe at home ????

 

[Richard M.]

Bank vaults with safe deposit boxes are dehumidified to one half of one percent to prevent deterioration of paper money, stock certificates, wills, etc. That''s not a good situation for opal; ditto very low humidity desert conditions. Stable opal will not necessarily craze in a safe deposit box but why risk it? If you must use one, immerse the opal water inside a tight-lidded container. Regular safes are not totally air-tight and some airborne moisture is available.

This advice is based on years of personal experience and the practices of many other opal professionals. However there are more versions of "the truth" about precious opal than there are about religion. Your mileage may vary...

Richard M.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Date: 8/13/2007 2:13:44 PM
Author:Nicrez

Do such storage bags exist for Opals? How do people properly store them to avoid crazing?

Also, she may have some crazing, how can you tell if it''s not just a color bar?

I would store them in water filled vials or jars.

Crazing has a distinctly different look than color bars. Crazing looks like a spiderweb network of cracks, while color bars look like a solid separation of colors. Hard to communicate, but once you see both you will never forget the difference in look.

 

[naderon]

How would a humidor work?

 

[FineAfricanGems]

I agree with Richard and Richard. In Australia we have been storing opal in glass jars with sealing lids since we started digging it after World War 1. Even at Gem Auctions in South Australia they are often presented for sale still in the jar.

Paul

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Once an opal has crazed and or cracked, can it be recut? I have a vintage ring of my grandmother''s that has a huge opal in it. Unfortunately years of improper storage has taken it''s toll. I''d love to salvage what I can of it though.

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 9/27/2007 8:36:44 AM
Author: PaulS
In Australia we have been storing opal in glass jars with sealing lids since we started digging it after World War 1. Even at Gem Auctions in South Australia they are often presented for sale still in the jar.
Paul

Paul, I don''t recommend keeping cut opals and opal jewelry in water all the time! Most opal that makes its way into jewelry has been proven stable and unlikely to craze. But low-humidity storage in a bank vault (or dry desert areas) can destabilize opal by drawing moisture from it. Now I think of it, a lot of Outback Oz qualifies as a "dry desert area!"

Rough opals are sold in water-filled jars because dry unpolished opal doesn''t show play of color. Water approximates the refractive index of precious opal and simulates a polish so that the play of color is obvious to potential buyers. It''s also exaggerated because the water magnifies it, especially in some of the fancy display bottles I''ve seen used for that purpose. Experienced buyers ask to inspect the rough in its dry state, to evaluate it for actual size and to find any cracks or other flaws hidden by the water. Reputable dealers will willingly agree. I never buy rough opal wet, and I never store cut stones wet except in the circumstances mentioned.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

How often should you soak your opal jewelry?