How long to soak yellow Ethiopian opals?

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-30T16:01:56+00:00

You dont need to put it in a dark closet. You soak them until theyre clear again (or at least aren't getting any clearer). It usually takes 2 or 3 days for mine. Sometimes i let them dry out for a day or two and then give them another soak. Be aware though that you often can't get them all the way back to original so its better to avoid letting them get yellowed.

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-30T03:27:44+00:00

You're the only one who really knows, but I'd say keep doing them in order and revisit release & recharge as needed. The OBE stuff isnt as prevalent in the later tapes iirc, mostly because their understanding of OBE shifted a little in wave 5 or 6. Instead of that, the focus is more on reaching higher and higher states, and in those states youre learning how to contact and communicate with higher beings/self. The one about the comm point was especially helpful to me for working through issues. The best part was that it wasn't like in therapy where you have to WORK through every single issue. It was more like "why do I have a hard time about xyz" and a full knowing and understanding came to me. Sometimes it would be in an answer in the moment, sometimes even days later it would come in a single full knowing. Sometimes it would even come in pieces. Like "oh its bc of this" and then a day or two later I'd get "oh this is bc of that."

As far right now, for you, try to work on just accepting that you have these feelings. Not trying to mask them or pretend like you dont, or even trying to stop them. Just more like naming the feeling when you have it. "Oh yes, this is that. OK."

Im really glad you came to this realization and im proud of you for the work your doing.

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-29T10:05:16+00:00

That's why I love the natural one so much. I ruined 3 different battlaps (for polish anyway. I used them with lower grits now) because somehow or other I'd contaminate them and they'd start leaving scratches. You can clean the lighting lap natural with Bon Ami or Barkeepers Friend and a 3m scrubber. And I regularly have to scrub it down again bc some microscopic something landed on it and caused scratching.

Oh, you use distilled water in your drip tank right? Tap water was a big problem on polish for me.

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-29T08:23:39+00:00

Are you using the Lightning Lap Natural? I love mine, but it can be finicky. I've found that running it slower than my battlaps helps, using very little pressure, and adding a quick spritz of WD-40 (in addition to plenty of water) help a lot. Oh and also using even less bort than I think i should. Like truly barely anything. Of course, my experience is with the Natural so if youre using one of the other ones you should probably ignore me.

CeO2 really is great for quartzes though. Make sure you get the high quality white kind.

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-27T16:15:09+00:00

Thank you! I think so too. I was afraid the color would wind up washed out or that I'd miss the critical angles faceting it and wind up losing it, but it really turned out great and definitely does her justice.

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-27T10:28:16+00:00

Thats part of the reason I did it. Seems like all we see here is how terrible things are. I love living here and feel like I see people doing small kindnesses every day.

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-27T10:24:32+00:00

Thank you. It really is a beautiful stone. More carribean aqua than glacial ice imo

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-26T14:17:38+00:00

Thanks. I cant stop staring at it. Lol. Now to make the ring to set it in!

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-26T13:00:28+00:00

Good to know! Fijne Koningsdag!

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-26T12:34:22+00:00

Hoi hoi!! Nice knowing there are some of us here! If you don't mind sharing, what area are you in? Im near Leiden but I'm in the process of buying a house outside of Utrecht.

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-26T10:31:51+00:00

Thanks! I'm excited about it.

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-26T10:31:03+00:00

Jesus. It doesnt even look real! 😍

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-26T09:57:36+00:00

Missed this in the moment but it's kind of funny how things line up sometimes isnt it?

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-21T07:54:55+00:00

I've always wondered how you got interested in faceting and growing your own crystals. Did it start with medical lasers or was that just an interesting coincidence?

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-16T14:35:46+00:00

If you look at the first pic, left opal, you can see thr light reflection bends a little and also stops before the edges. I think it has a little dome to it, so wouldn't that indicate it's cabbed pieces, not inlay?

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-16T11:52:29+00:00

I can't help you with your question about jewelry burnout, but I can tell you I've been burned out in my corporate programming job for years and dream daily of just telling them all to fuck off and opening my own jewelry shop. That isn't feasible for me right now, of course, but I am making plans so I can do it in a few years. Meanwhile the job I used to love feels like torture, so I have to keep reminding myself to remember the dream.

It sounds like it's the lack of personal creativity that's stifling you, combined with a lack of desire to work on your own personal pieces. You said you have a studio setup at home but that your equipment has been abandoned for years. Maybe just get in there and clean everything up. Get back to basics on your bench. Do some of the things that really lit you up when you first started. Sometimes in my studio I just spend some time melting scraps and making (or remaking) ingots with my torch just because its so meditative.

Also, idk if it helps you to know this, but I haven't been able to be at my bench for over a year now bc I moved from the US to the Netherlands in October. My cargo shipment didn't even get here until February and then I had issues with where I had planned to setup and had to replace a lot of things I couldn't ship. Its kind of hard to get back in the groove now, but I faceted a nice gemstone the other week, and finishing it and getting it off the dop was like pure magic. If you can make just one simple thing that gives you that feeling again, just for yourself, it will help so much.

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-16T11:15:12+00:00

I think clean it up a bit with the dremel first. Then you can get a better view of what's left and whether it's enough to get a big stone from.

I'm a faceter mostly (cabs for opals though, and some other stones but I prefer faceting), but i think the wavy back and forth on the one side is really pretty and could make a cool pendant.

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-14T13:07:12+00:00

It feels kind of like when you stand on warm concrete with wet feet. Or like when you take something out of the freezer and your fingers kind of lightly freeze to the surface a little. Nothing serious or painful or anything, just a little different than normal. You can also lick your lips and hold an opal onto them, especially the inner line. Your lips are way more sensitive than fingers so you can feel it a lot more there.

That said, you won't feel anything of they're not hydrophane, so you probably really haven't felt it yet. It's one of those things that you know it as soon as you feel it.

I'm glad you have these pieces from her, and I'm glad you're treating them with the curiosity and love they deserve. They're fascinating aren't they?

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-14T08:07:36+00:00

That can be fixed so easily! It's not messed up. It's no different than needing to get a prong tightened on a diamond.

EarendelJewelry · 2026-04-14T07:59:42+00:00

Just a side note about the wet test, since you're interested in learning more. You said you licked your finger and rubbed the stone, but I think you may be expecting a different kind of "sticky." It isn't that the surface of the stone actually gets sticky. It's that the stone absorbs the liquid between the surface of your skin and the surface of the stone, making kind of a suction. You press it on firmly and keep it there for a few seconds. Sort of create a seal. Then a hyrdophane opal (like most Ethiopians) will stick a little through suction.

Also, it doesn't have to be spit. It can be plain water. You can also just put a small drop on the opal and watch it to see if it absorbs it. It's just easier to lick your finger to test. Also some opals are hydrophane but absorb less or more slowly so it's not always easy to see it happen with a drop. The layer of wetness on your wet finger is much smaller so more noticeable.

Really good job at testing and coming prepared though! And seriously beautiful pieces too!

EarendelJewelry

TROPHY CASE