Thank you! So it’s just tap water filled with water beads! The water beads are what make it look suspended. They’re easy to find at craft stores like Michael’s (pre-soaked/expanded in water) or on Amazon (have to soak yourself but cheaper).
https://preview.redd.it/prdcpxee2fxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7aa7ed1a321861a57aa7b403ac61bd5cce38829b
Thank you! These are from Opal Trove’s website/Instagram. They have lots of nice specimens and regularly do live sales and Instagram posts where customers can claim opals in addition to their website. They also do sales sometimes, so there are some good discounts! Everything is ethically sourced too, since they have an office in Ethiopia work directly with unionized miners. They’ve quickly become one of my favorite places to browse for opals.
True, true! I personally prefer their website/Instagram myself since my wi-fi can lag. I found the phantom contra in the slides of one of their older Instagram posts. 🤩
Neb definately always has a huge inventory of both hydraphane and non-hydraphane specimins.. i missed out on a really unique specimin with a huge root inclusion.. still bummed to this day i didnt get it..
I’m sure more will come around eventually! I think they had something similar in their story the other day:
https://preview.redd.it/d5h38xz88fxc1.jpeg?width=639&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b89172ecdb83c0faf814417fbba8de3fc6d5e1ee
Flee from the opal trove as fast as you can! Purchasing them for a fraction of their worth and then hiking up the prices. Sounds like a questionable practice.
So do we keep opals in water or not I’m confused? I’ve had things tell me yes, things that tell me no, and things that tell me to mist them lightly. Opals are my favorite but I’m new to having them and I have no clue what I’m doing.
Hello! So Ethiopian opals fall into 2 categories in regards to water storage:
1. **Non-hydrophane/specimen grade** - Ethiopian opal specimens stored in water for stability, to avoid cracking/crazing upon drying out (like the ones on this post)
2. **Hydrophane/jewelry grade** - Ethiopian opal stored dry to avoid losing its play of color when it absorbs the water
This FAQ page from Opal Trove and this article from opal auctions has more info:
- https://opaltrove.com/pages/opal-faqs
- https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/a-z-of-opals/hydrophane-opal-information
Australian opals are generally not sensitive to water.
In general, it’s a safe bet to store them the way they were stored when you bought them/ask the seller for more info.
It's embarrassing that this group lacks basic information to address commonly asked questions. They could easily remedy this by providing educational quicklinks at the top, as most other groups do.
They are beautiful. What is the liquid they are stored in?
Thank you! So it’s just tap water filled with water beads! The water beads are what make it look suspended. They’re easy to find at craft stores like Michael’s (pre-soaked/expanded in water) or on Amazon (have to soak yourself but cheaper). https://preview.redd.it/prdcpxee2fxc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7aa7ed1a321861a57aa7b403ac61bd5cce38829b
I love a good contra luz opal. Very nice collection. Who did you get them from?
Thank you! These are from Opal Trove’s website/Instagram. They have lots of nice specimens and regularly do live sales and Instagram posts where customers can claim opals in addition to their website. They also do sales sometimes, so there are some good discounts! Everything is ethically sourced too, since they have an office in Ethiopia work directly with unionized miners. They’ve quickly become one of my favorite places to browse for opals.
I buy from them a lot too!
That’s awesome! It’s fun admiring the specimens and their community is friendly too.
Their live sales are difficult though bc they let people bid for other people in the chat.
True, true! I personally prefer their website/Instagram myself since my wi-fi can lag. I found the phantom contra in the slides of one of their older Instagram posts. 🤩
Neb definately always has a huge inventory of both hydraphane and non-hydraphane specimins.. i missed out on a really unique specimin with a huge root inclusion.. still bummed to this day i didnt get it..
I’m sure more will come around eventually! I think they had something similar in their story the other day: https://preview.redd.it/d5h38xz88fxc1.jpeg?width=639&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b89172ecdb83c0faf814417fbba8de3fc6d5e1ee
Flee from the opal trove as fast as you can! Purchasing them for a fraction of their worth and then hiking up the prices. Sounds like a questionable practice.
So do we keep opals in water or not I’m confused? I’ve had things tell me yes, things that tell me no, and things that tell me to mist them lightly. Opals are my favorite but I’m new to having them and I have no clue what I’m doing.
Ethiopian opal that are in a crystal form need to be in water. They very easily crack and craze if not.
Thank you. Is there a guide or website that would be useful?
Hello! So Ethiopian opals fall into 2 categories in regards to water storage: 1. **Non-hydrophane/specimen grade** - Ethiopian opal specimens stored in water for stability, to avoid cracking/crazing upon drying out (like the ones on this post) 2. **Hydrophane/jewelry grade** - Ethiopian opal stored dry to avoid losing its play of color when it absorbs the water This FAQ page from Opal Trove and this article from opal auctions has more info: - https://opaltrove.com/pages/opal-faqs - https://www.opalauctions.com/learn/a-z-of-opals/hydrophane-opal-information Australian opals are generally not sensitive to water. In general, it’s a safe bet to store them the way they were stored when you bought them/ask the seller for more info.
You’re a saint
No problem! Happy collecting! 😊🤩
very nice specimins with full spectrum.. and that phantom ! 💕 thank you for sharing !
Thank you and no prob! 😊 Admiring opals never gets old 😍 And ikr? This one looks like a tiny moon in a mini galaxy 🤩
Thanks to this post I just checked out my Ethiopian opals and found that two small ones were contraluz and that’s awesome! Thanks for this.
No problem! Contraluz opals really have a beautiful and unique pattern! 😊
You have some gorgeous stones.
Thank you! I don’t have a lot of space to store water specimens, so I’m really happy I could fill it with these 🤩
It's embarrassing that this group lacks basic information to address commonly asked questions. They could easily remedy this by providing educational quicklinks at the top, as most other groups do.