Quote:
Originally Posted by LoggerTheta
I know the post I quoted is 6 years old, but I thought this was interesting. It didn't make sense to me at first (from a mineralogical point of view.) These must be synthetic opals that people have in their badges/jewelry because actual opal is just hydrated amorphous silica (like quartz except without a crystal structure). Synthetic opals can be porous, which would lead to cracking, whereas naturally occurring ones are not.
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My mom has actually told me for years that opals--her birthstone--are incredibly fragile and need to be hydrated
somehow. I don't recall if she told me that required body oils, steam, or if she even mentioned what that
somehow is. But I know she's said that they're a pain to take care of, which is why she doesn't have very many. Well... that, and the fact that she likes bright, blue, fiery opals--not the pale, whitish ones you typically find now.
Back to the question about getting a new badge with opals: when my mom was ordering her badge decades ago (we're talking '60s), she called our jeweler to find out what color the opals were that year; perhaps you could do the same now. That would also let you know if they would look good with another stone (i.e. rubies, emeralds, or sapphires), or if you'd rather forgo them this time around.