australian opal jewelry care instructions

Your Australian opal jewelry requires some special care to keep it looking its best.

First, never clean your Australian opal jewelry in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner.  The heated chemical cleaning solution may negatively affect the epoxy that secures the opal in the inlay channel over a period of time.  Also, avoid contact with household cleaners and solvents, as they may breakdown the epoxy as well.  Lotions, oils and dead skin may collect under and around your accent stones (diamonds, sapphires, etc), making them appear dull.  To remove the caked on build up, simply brush the gemstones with a soft toothbrush and mild soap from the top and the bottom.  The more often you brush the stones, the easier it will be to keep them clean and looking great.  Do not soak your opal jewelry in any liquid.  The prolonged exposure to water or oils may weaken the bond between the opal and the epoxy used to hold them in the channel, allowing the inlaid opal sections to fall out.  High quality Australian opal does not need to be oiled or soaked in water. 

Second, wear your jewelry with care and common sense.  Remove your jewelry before performing any activity that might damage the opal or the gold, such as exercising, yard work, swimming, dishwashing, etc.  If you have any doubt, just take a few minutes to remove your jewelry and put it away.  When not wearing your jewelry, store your  jewelry in a cloth bag or box where your other jewelry cannot ding or scratch it.  Doing so will also prolong the life of your jewelry and extend the period you can go before needing to be refinished.  Don't throw your jewelry in the bottom of your purse or put your opal ring in your pocket with your car keys!

Finally, when the surface of the opal gets dull or the gold loses its luster, return your opal jewelry to us for refinishing.  If you have an accident and break a stone, we can drill it out and replace it without a problem.  The worst thing you can do it continue to wear your opal ring with cracked or chipped opal in it.  If water, lotion or oil seeps in through a crack in the opal the epoxy can be compromised and the opal inlay may begin to loosen and fall out leading to expensive repairs.  Inspect your ring for cracks and damage on a regular basis.  If there is any doubt about whether your opals are in good condition send the ring to us to evaluate and repair or simply refinish. 

We recommend returning Hileman Opal Jewelry repairs either to the store where you purchased your Hileman jewelry or directly to us.  Most jewelers are not experienced with inlay methods and do not have opals to match the ones in your opal jewelry.  Our utmost concern is customer satisfaction and we replace damaged opal at a very reasonable cost and refinish (polish) our jewelry for only the shipping, insurance, and handling charges for the life of your Hileman jewelry.  Contact us for shipping instructions.

(623) 518-6588

Australian Opal Jewelry

OPAL INLAY RINGS & JEWELRY BY HILEMAN

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