A jeweler in Denver contacted us regarding an Opal ring their customer had brought them. The Opal was broken.
Their customer didn't really want to replace the Opal. They were wondering if the stone could be repaired.
I told them that it is difficult to do successfully but I would 'try' for them.
This is what the Opal looked like when I received it.
You can see that the Opal has a crater where a chunk of the Opal is missing. It also has a crack which goes across the stone.
I needed to think of a way to fill in the crater shaped depression in the Opal.
That is difficult because it is hard to find a filler material which looks like Opal and also takes a polish.
I decided to try a new type of Superglue which I had discovered.
I used this because I had found that this particular Superglue hardened harder than other Superglues and would take a polish.
First: I filled the crack and pushed the pieces fo Opal together so that the crack was sealed.
Next: I made a mixture of crushed Opal powder and mixed it in with the Superglue and filled in the hole.
Last: I very carefully sanded down the mound of filler until it was flush with the surface. Then I buffed the top of the filler.
It actually turned out quite nice. I was a bit surprised at how well the filler blended in with the Opal.
The jeweler was very happy with how it turned out and most importantly, their customer was thrilled to have their Opal repaired!
→ Take me back to examples of Cabochons we have Repaired while in the ring . . .
Denton Anderson,
Gemologist & Gem Cutter
click photo for Video
Graduate Gemologist, GIA, GG
Over 20 years of experience.
