Subject: Re: mineral oil

From: [email-masked] (Laurie Adams)
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 1994 00:39:27 GMT

I'm a Libran born Oct 12 (my mother's is Oct 10 so she knew all the lore to 
pass on).  My first job was with a jeweler, and naturally I bought opals for
myself out of my pay.  Due to the light crystalline structure of opals (which
allow the light to make those nice shimmers of color) opals are very fragile.

They are also able to absorb liquids, and are most fragile when dry.  I spilled
coffee with cream on a lovely translucent blue-green opal I had just bought, and
it literally absorbed a bit of the coffee & cream which 18 years later is *still*
visible if you look!  I was so disappointed, and my boss told me to buy a little
bottle of Glycerin at the drug store, and to soak the opals in the Glycerin
when I was not wearing them.  

Using Glycerin (or Glycerine) keeps them from losing moisture, does not change
color with age, and reduces the chance of chipping, though you still have to be
careful.  I think the irridescence shows better when they are well filled with
Glycerin too.  (It is not expensive.)  I cleaned a plastic pill bottle and put 
enough Glycerin into it to cover the rings when they were all in there.  Once
in a while I change the Glycerin.

It's kept my opals nice for 18 years now.  And I have a handful of opals. <beam>

Good luck, hope this helps.		...laurie

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