Australian Opal Care Instructions

Australian opals are unique and delicate gemstones; approximately 5,000 times rarer than diamonds. Follow the care instructions below to keep yours looking brilliant for many years to come.

Know Your Opal Type

Before deciding how to best care for your opal, it’s important to understand which type you have:

Solid Opal: Natural solid opal which has only been cut and polished with no additions or enhancements.
Click here to view diagram!

Doublets: Made from two layers: a top layer of natural opal and a backing (typically black potch). These layers are bonded with a silicon-based epoxy.
Click here to view diagram!

Triplets: Similar to doublets, but with a third clear layer (quartz or glass) placed on top to protect the opal and enhance its dome.
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General Handling

Solid Opal

• Similar to glass, natural opal ranks around 5.5–6.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, making it vulnerable to cracking, chipping, or shattering if dropped or knocked against a hard surface. Always handle your opal with care; especially when set in a ring, which is at higher risk of accidental damage.
• A brief 15 min soak in clean water once a year will help prevent your solid opal from drying out.

Doublets & Triplets

• We use only natural solid Australian black opal potch (opaque opal without play-of-color) as the backing for our doublets. Because of this, our doublets maintain a consistent Mohs hardness ranking throughout the stone. As such, they should be treated with the same level of care as a solid opal.
• Caring for doublets and triplets is slightly different from caring for solid opals. There is a slight risk of layer delamination from repeated and prolonged submersion in water, or exposure to harsh abrasive chemicals.
• We offer a lifetime delamination warranty on all of our doublets. If your stone ever begins to separate, contact us and we will gladly repair it for free.

Moisture & Temperature

• Australian opals contain a high water content and are sensitive to extreme changes in humidity or temperature.
• Sudden environmental shifts can cause the internal water content to expand or contract, potentially weakening the opal’s internal structure and leading to spontaneous cracking.

Cleaning

• Please do not use ultrasonic or steam cleaners. These can cause cracking or shattering of solid opal and can weaken the bonding agent in doublets/triplets.
• Use a soft, damp cloth and a mild soap if needed.
• Do not use or expose your opal to bleach, alcohol, or other abrasive cleaning agents.

Opal Jewelry

• Remove all opal jewelry before sleeping, swimming, exercising, or physical labor.
• Remove relevant opal jewelry prior to applying lotion, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, oils, or perfume to avoid residue buildup.
• Regularly inspect your opal jewelry to ensure it is secure in its setting. If the stone is loose, stop wearing it immediately and take it to a jeweler to secure it back into place.
• Because opal is a softer gemstone, micro-scratches, scuffs, and dullness caused by regular wear is to be expected. Please email or message me and I’ll be happy to buff and repolish it for you. If refinished elsewhere, ensure the jeweler has experience cutting natural Australian opal.

Storing Your Opal

• Store separately from other gemstones or jewelry to avoid scratches.
• A soft-lined box or drawstring pouch is best.
• Ideal environmental conditions are 50%-60% humidity and 65–75°F (18–24°C).
• For long-term storage, wrap it in a clean piece of cotton or wool with a few drops of water, and place it in a sealed bag to maintain consistent humidity.