Hi and thanks for the question. I don't want people to misunderstand my discussion on opals-whether from Australia or Ethiopia. The original question posed to me was "do I have to store my opals in water". You can always store your opals in water (especially in the rough) if you want to . Is it mandatory? No. Finished opals (polished) should be fine without constantly storing in water. In the rough, Ethiopian opals are often referred to as "Hydrophane opals". That is because they generally have a higher water content than Australian opals. They can lose water content when they dry out, and absorb water content when they soak it back in. This is very different than they behave after being cut and polished. Also, as I mentioned in the lesson, opals show their play of color better when they are viewed in water jars. They are doubly refractive and you can see the play of color better as a result. Hope this helps you with your question!

@@pauldeasygemstones It does-- Thanks!

Thank you! I'm bought 2 opals and they come in water filled glass jars

Awesome question. First of all, conventional wisdom has always said that opals have water content in them in various amounts. Certainly the Australian opals were 7-14% water. They required very little care. My friend and Australian opal miner Peter said the only care was to not keep them in a place with no humidity, such as a bank safety deposit box. Then with the Mexican fire opals, they would mine them and let them cure in the sun for a period of time so t hey were stable and could be set in jewelry. Then came the Ethiopian opals, which were very different. They were a game changer. In the trade they are referred to as Hydrophane opals. They can gain and lose water. The first time I encountered them at a show, I put my finger on top of an opal and it was so dry, it stuck to my finger! I have since seen people try to regulate the amounts of water in Ethiopian opals with varying degrees of success. I don't believe that you will damage your opal by storing it in water, since it is normal for Ethiopian opals to lose and gain water content over time. As an aside, opals are doubly refractive so they look better in water

I am not surprised. I remember attending a seminar during the Tucson Gem show given by by Fred Ward, who was an award winning photographer and author of gem books. He said the best way to photograph an opal was in the water because opals are doubly refractive!

Great question, Redstone. As I mentioned in previous lessons or questions, opals have a certain amount of water content in them. The percentage of water content is generally higher in the Ethiopian opal (sometimes called “Hydrophane opals”) than the water content in Australian opals. You really don’t need to store them in any particular way. Once they have been cut and polished you should be fine. My only advice would be NOT to store it in a bank deposit box. Why? Since opals do have that water content you wouldn’t want to store it in a dry climate controlled bank vault as the lack of humidity could cause the opal to lose water content and affect the play of color. Otherwise, just enjoy it. Opals are among my favorites!