Can I put opal in water or acid - I test them

What do you get when you cross an opal with some acid? An ultrasonic? Hand sanitiser?! Tune in to find out!
I debunk some common opal myths in this weeks video, showing you exactly what you can (and can't!) do with Australian opal.
Read the full write up on the blog: blackopaldirec...
I hope you enjoy!
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[@garyanddoris6022]

Opals just leave me spellbound, how a rock could come out of the ground be that beautiful is amazing...

[@vagabond-yj8pn]

I’m just learning about opals and I know one thing. I want one.

[@mollynakamori]

Your staircases are so gloriously dorky - I love them!

[@blackopaldirect]

They are real

[@adamgc73]

I've never seen the spiral staircase...that's a good one I'll have to remember that one. My folks love it when I come up the escalator..always good for a laugh. I'm dissapointed the dog didn't make an appearance at the end Justin lol...but I'll always give you a thumbs up mate.

[@karenpinson759]

You have burst a lot of myth bubbles I have had over the years. Thank you. I did cringe when you put the opal in a sonic cleaner and in acid. You and your wife are too cute.

[@tammycoleman8889]

Amazing how it stands up to so many things...it is such a beautiful Stone ..

[@samanthafairweather9186]

I love opals! 🥰 Especially black opal. The ONLY times they are bad luck are when you lose them, or they are stolen from you. Then, they ARE bad luck - for the thief!!! Love watching Justin and co. The opal cutting actually makes me so relaxed, I nearly fall asleep! It's very hypnotic to watch, so I normally do so just before I go to bed at night after a stressful day. Keep up the great work, and can't wait for more videos. P.S. Loved the hammer bit! 🤣

[@jawjagrrl]

Great to know that I can enjoy my opal as long as I keep away from hammers and bricks! ;) But seriously they are tougher than I realized and this gives me the confidence to enjoy my opals as often as I really want. Thank you!!

[@davidleisge8739]

You have to be "The Face of Opal". Love watching.

[@erniegee58]

Lightning Ridge opal best in the world 🌍 .!! Nothing compares.good show🇫🇰🇱🇷

[@didisinclair3605]

You, sir, are a riot, so charming, and such a great teacher. Thanks so much!

[@janetsmith5279]

Honestly if i was coming into contact with any of these substances i would take my ring OFF no brainer!

[@IsraelDmzS]

Love Opals and having always good luck ;)

[@psw4763]

Thank you for your demonstration and answering alot of questions about beautiful opals. Australia has the best no doubt about it.

[@nedriley6991]

This has made my day Thanks Justin

[@blackopaldirect]

mission accomplished :-)

[@casswilliams4601]

How does this video only have 20k views. The ending had me rolling 😆😆

[@blackopaldirect]

lol

[@craftycrafter1960]

🤣🤣you are so awesome! I have been binge watching your videos as I am new to your channel. I have learned a lot about opals!

[@sandmaker]

My wife watched too and she had some misconceptions corrected. It was a good demo, thanks. My wife had a problem with a black opal years ago, but I figured out it was a triplet and the glue was eroded. I cleaned it and re glued and it was great. That may be where some of the stories are started. Thanks for the information and keep it coming! Randy and Fran - Cathedral City , California for another week.

[@blackopaldirect]

I think you are correct Randy. Also some other opal fields around the world need to keep opal in water or it will crack so it may come from that as well

[@SuperRodriguez2005]

That was a good video! Ya'll are silly! I thoroughly enjoyed it! Very interesting!

[@beth-rg8bm]

3:36 🤔 I don't know...it looks😳 cleaner to me!

[@garyanddoris6022]

Hydrochloric acid is no joke , that stuff knock a hole through about anything, but if an opal live through that ....no worries...

[@jmikronis7376]

Justin, I did go back to my chemistry research. The color in Opel comes from Silicon that has formed spheres and gathered along planes. But, of course, you already knew that. That doesn’t take away from their beauty. The electronics industry today wouldn’t exist without this Silicon and the impurities that are needed to create the “N” and “P” type materials. The Silicon MUST be in a pure form to be able to be used. Cheers!

[@1kreature]

Very interesting! So in essence, if you have a boulder opal (or at least something you are almost 100% sure has opal in it) you could release it very gently from the rock by using Hydrochloric or Muriatic acid? I see the miners in Outback Opal Hunters splitting rocks multiple times with pick even after already splitting and seeing opal in it. I'm thinking to myself that must reduce value a lot as it splits the opal and potentially introduces cracks as well. The acid should be able to loosen up the ironstone matrix and release the opal perfectly.

[@tamwolf20]

Thank you for the info and for the good natured silliness and laughs.

[@blackopaldirect]

Welcome Tam

[@davidstoner7448]

Wow...Sedimentary opal is what's up. Not a blemish after the acid.... impresive. I'm so glad you addressed the " bad luck opal" myth. Tell those superstitious folks to relax ....ha! 😆 Can't wait to see what's next. Take it easy Justin. Much love from California 😎

[@blackopaldirect]

Thank you David

[@karolinamura]

You are the water for a thirsty opaloholic woman I am... and Your intelligence combined with an Fabulous familiar humor is the best medicine for everyone who is confined or just in love with opals, especially black ones. Love and greetings from France without coronavirus of course 😂

[@blackopaldirect]

Keep safe and well

[@karolinamura]

@@blackopaldirect God while watching this beautiful and full of magic videos my great friend from 17years just passed away because she contracted this evil while in hospital due to pneumonia 😭 sadness is always with happiness so cherish Your beloved ones because nobody is untouchable. She just had 50 years so it's so young. We are devastated...

[@garyhoffmann1615]

If you walk around town flashing Opal your bound to get lucky sooner or later :)

[@levibrown4396]

Very informative thanx 😀

[@desaturatedyou]

Justin: wears ventilator during the intro Also Justin: uses towel when dealing with hydrochloric acid

[@blackopaldirect]

And? I don’t get it

[@garyanddoris6022]

Truly enjoyed the adventure of putting the opal through it ....

[@melvinphillips6883]

Nice demonstration , now I know . Thank you

[@randywaller7685]

Justin... Thanks bud. That made my day. Not only did I learn something new about opal. But that was the best laugh I had all day. Stay safe in this time of world wide anxiety. Randy in Des Moines. 👍😂✌ P.S... Are you guys in oz having the toilet paper shortage like us here in the states?? It's just crazy.

[@blackopaldirect]

yes we have the shortages as well. Craziness

[@yannick7570]

Top class ! Cheers justin ! A mine of information ! 👌👌

[@sheilabroad8192]

I would love to see the difference between an Australian opal and a non Australian Opal under a microscope. 🤔. 💕

[@ResortDog]

Look for the electron microscope pictures where they were etching it with acid to discover the structures. Opal is opal, the E does not react differently unless something was soaked into it that reacted.

[@normfredriksen1381]

Looking forward to this since yesterday. And a big thanks for the chuckle at the end.

[@kayleighmarshall488]

The yellow colour coming off the rusted nail in the HCl is actually iron chloride in solution rather than 'the colour of the rust'. Otherwise factually fascinating video :)

[@blackopaldirect]

Good to know 😊

[@Stacey-m5q]

Another informative video, thanks Justin

[@isaiahwall3689]

You are extremely entertaining, thank you!

[@johnnylchalk2370]

The ending hahaha

[@Kerrsartisticgifts]

When I was a kid you had to buy metholated spirits from the chemists shop. You had to sign a "poison book" for it. I was told that was because people drank it. The only time we ever bought it was to fuel our camping stove. They might have used it in those old brass blow guns painters used to strip paint.

[@johnnylchalk2370]

Huh interesting. Thanks for that. This vid gives me confidence to buy an opal.

[@PortMyName]

*laughing* I always heard about ultrasonics and opals being not best friends, but they're best friends after all. I'm glad I picked up Australian opals

[@aropals672]

Great video to pass on to all that love to wear opal..... Can't make it anymore clear than that!!!

[@esejsnake1503]

I dreamt that we met by chance in my country tonight. You had this amazing orange blue opal the size of an open palm and an astounding crystal opal... and you deigned to chat with me for some time. I was amazed at the details of all this. You see, even the opals in my dreams are of a higher standart since I follow your channel. XD

[@leereynolds7948]

Such great information. and you crack me up.I don't believe in bad luck 1 of my favorite cats was black he was THE nicest love cat I ever had now karma it can come back on you!!!love your channel

[@blackopaldirect]

Thanks Lee

[@dennisjamieson3328]

You have a great team.

[@FarmanAli]

This has made my day, love the comedy..😂🔥

[@bpinto9245]

oh please do this outside lol. once you put that nail in i worried

[@blackopaldirect]

Yes they have strong fumes

[@1.4142]

The reaction only produces h2 gas, which is not harmful. The only hazard is evaporating hcl.

[@ResortDog]

I thought the reaction made hydrogen chloride clouds that turn into hydrochloric acid on contact with tissue.

[@pixiecut7424]

Yes! Great info.I confess...I always thought opal was so fragile.But wow,it holds up.👌

[@shah0094]

Justin very nice experiment.

[@tonywild6581]

Hi Justin, love the videos, that is an amazing piece of opal and interesting to know its safe in chemicals. you always make me smile with your entrances

[@dennisjamieson3328]

Excellent info thank you. Another informative video. 😊

[@madsciencegary3830]

Since the opals aren't affected, could you use acid to take the sandstone inclusion off the surface to see what's under it, like on your script opal with the sandstone inclusion right in the center?

[@cathifamjourney469]

Noooooo Justin don't kill the opal, send it to me!!! Lol!! Your wife is gorgeous!! And silly 😉😍 a perfect match. Tell her she has great aim as well, good thing she was so close to you or that orange might have hurt! I 🤣😂🤣

[@blackopaldirect]

Haha my wife is the tea bringer. The fruit thrower is Tracey. She is my bookkeeper

[@annihilatedbutcomingback1119]

Very interesting , wouldnt have thought you could put the opal through all that🤗

[@theresabetaway7775]

Great video demonstrating the superiority of Australian opal, Think ive come down on the right side thanks 👍

[@wpn3857]

Great Videos! Do you think Ethiopian Opal could handle the hydrochloric acid and what about a synthetic fake opal? Be funny if it just melted.

[@albansarbach8977]

So funky like always buddy , my vife was so laughting 🤣

[@blackopaldirect]

Hahah

[@suryaok1237]

greetings from Indonesian opal stone hobbyist 🙏. good luck always

[@rodneycox329]

You should try some dry opal powder (grindings) and let it float on acid, no bubbles but you can see the powder starts moving around indicating some kind of reaction. Not all reactions make bubbles.

[@smokeless7774]

I know you Aussies are tough. For a moment I thought you had gone into the cocktail business!!! Greetings from the shut down UK.

[@blackopaldirect]

hahaha

[@Rookie_Rockounding]

Man really cool and as always, super helpful and interesting vid mate 👍 I’m amazed the hydrochloric acid didn’t effect it, really cool. Side note, what is that awesome mic you’ve got on the iPhone? It looks super wind deleting!

[@chrisruss9861]

I washed my hands with a doublet ring then in a panic at what I had done put it under a strong drying airflow. It was the heat that caused a change on the edges making the colour different to the rest, presumably having affected the glue.

[@blackopaldirect]

Yes the glue is the weakest link

[@jamesbarisitz4794]

Fun video! I soaked a smoked Ethiopian opal in acetone. In turned absolutely clear. After a day it had green and red colour play with the clear like a jelly opal. Hydrophane is a hot house flower with weird characteristics.

[@blackopaldirect]

haha glad you tried that its a fun test to do

[@ricochetaz3846]

Thank you, Justin damn good info. You have a perty damn good life. Beautiful country to live in, beautiful high-quality stones found only there, and it seems all of the women there are beautiful too! Please keep em coming. Rick in AZ

[@thebeaglebeat3615]

LOL love the humor

[@sangrealrings]

Interesting video as always.

[@christinevr7698]

I love opals and plan to buy some from you someday! I’ve never heard the “unlucky” myth. I’d be bloody lucky if I owned one, I should think. Q: I have watched KZbinr- Pulitzer Opal- put Andamooka (sp?) opals in some kind of solution and get a stronger contrast light play... so what happened there? Andamooka opals are Australian aren’t they? They changed a lot. Not damaged, but a big colour shift.

[@blackopaldirect]

Yes There is a type of opal called Andamooka matrix opal that is treated by boiling it in sugar until it goes dark. Its a very inexpensive type of opal. But not all Andamooka opal is cheap there is also some really top gem quality that comes out of there like my 2 kilo piece called the rock.

[@christinevr7698]

Black Opal Direct thanks for explaining it; I did not realize it was a sugar solution! Some of the results he got were astonishing- very nice. But yeah, it doesn’t match up to a pure black opal.

[@suzycat2026]

🤩 You are so funny! So you didn't get fed grapes! That was really interesting - how could you put that beauty through all that! 😯 I was amazed at the hydrochloric acid! 🙂 But does this only go for Black Opals? The 'hydrophane' type , would that include the Ethiopian Crystal opals? Some are clear , others a honey coloured body. I've always been careful with Opals , 1 is definitely getting a darker body colour , only ever used soap & water. Thanks 🐱☯️🌌

[@KIRALYW]

Lol loved the ending 👌🏽😂 Restaurants are shut so that comment was even funnier. 🤣

[@ResortDog]

I noticed you did not mention white opals never having a problem in an ultrasonic. If stuff will soak in , it can generally be rinsed out with a solvent too or neutralized & then rehydrated, unless you were looking for a penetration like a resin sealant.

[@blackopaldirect]

Not Australian white opal. The solid silica will not change

[@ResortDog]

@@blackopaldirect Solid being the key word. The stuff i had was definitely Australian & it was crumbly for the lack of a better word. Bad level Opal? I have seen that look in rough more than once too in its water trays in the sun. Dont see many outdoor show dealers/jewelers with cut expensive or rough stones in the sun, just like the amethyst Its always under the shade. It had white lines like angle hair in it that looked more crackly than angle hair after years, and in the ultrasonic cleaner it fell apart on all the lines. I'm sure some of the old dealers had that material to deal with and advised against being hard on it. I rarely see precious cabs or jewelry in the direct sun, or left outside over night either. My Virgin Valley is melted into the backing of the melted off them cases from direct sun display for decades now for the unsold ones. Probably because i price them as good opal, not something that will fall apart as a rule and should be given away for potch prices. At least us miners/cutters get to keep working.

[@rameezahmed3565]

Hi gays im new subscriber of black opal driect i really love to see ur video because every time i want to get info about jems stone n i really like opal

[@johnnylchalk2370]

Omg the ending hahahahahahahahahahahagahagaha. I've aucually looked that up is opal u lucky lol. Thanks man.

[@Blumack21]

Thank you. I am grapeful for opals too.lol Andy

[@shanecarubbi7864]

☺ thanks Justine!

[@wavytiger1]

what a great video! love the comedy :)

[@blackopaldirect]

Thank you

[@jeffgray4602]

Very good. My wife said that stuff would eat it. 😃

[@blackopaldirect]

Hahahaha nope

[@elizabethmurphy7657]

You did tell us once before that Ethiopian opal will turn to clear crystal when placed in water.

[@sofabuddha]

My mum, when she was alive, had a crystal opal in a ring and used to swear that it needed rubbing every day as the oils on her fingers helped it shine. It started me off on a lifelong love of opals.

[@blackopaldirect]

Haha yeah that was not true but a nice story

[@nancycurtis3230]

My mum used to say the same about wearing her good pearls.

[@lynneperg6853]

An amusing and educational video. I can't imagine where that strange belief of opals being bad luck came from. Possibly from a jealous non opal owner?

[@blackopaldirect]

Diamond company

[@lynneperg6853]

@@blackopaldirect lol I should have figured that out!

[@thefeatheredfrontiersman8135]

So why didn't the HCL eat right through the sand pocket on the back? I was guessing it would. What is the sand composed of? Oh and I did hear of the bad luck thing, I always felt empowered when I have my Ethiopian triplet on. Nonsense! You also explain that I should use a Australian opal to Knapp an arrow Head . Being the closest to glass. Thanks j!

[@KJS0036]

Learned a lot and made me laugh. I still think you should dance in every video ❤

[@blackopaldirect]

Hahah

[@johnnylchalk2370]

I've watched this video again and again haha. Are Australian opals sensitive to temperatures? Like if you live in a place with snow. Or if you change temperature quickly? What about different altitudes? Or airplane rides? Thanks Justin. Hope you have a great day. The ending always makes me 😂

[@blackopaldirect]

Airplane is fine so is freezing

[@ThatOpalGuy]

the problem would occur if you got the stone really really hot, or cold, and then tried to rapidly cool, or heat, it

[@jordansjournal1324]

The quarantine madness has set in, lol. As always, I loved the video

[@KingGold1851]

Wow, always entertaining videos

[@kengrezzy3827]

Omg justin you are so amazing and a fantastic and funny

[@brianblackwell2308]

Lol, i like how you got your grspes

[@blackopaldirect]

I tried but the females in my business would not do it so that was the best I got

[@brianblackwell2308]

Your lucky it was not a coconut

[@garyanddoris6022]

I cringed on the hammer and brick lol...

[@aaronramsden1657]

You should use a fume hood for the acid 🙂 it can crystallize the water in your lungs

[@detectvt9849]

I wasn't able to leave a comment on the blog. For the opal giveaway!!

[@blackopaldirect]

Strange. I’m sorry it maybe the internet browser you are using is maybe out of date

[@detectvt9849]

@@blackopaldirect date? Or data? Cuz I have plenty of data. Unlimited data to be more accurate. The site didn't let me create a user name and password, Yesterday. I'm going to go try again today.

[@noranahmorshidi9482]

Thks for sharing & info though

[@HDshovelEd]

Your lucky there was no watermelon at the end! 😀

[@blackopaldirect]

😆😆😆

[@sandysimon7313]

I was told you have to soak any opals in water or oil weekly to keep them from breaking. How true is this?

[@1COMIXMAN]

My friend once fixed a cracked opal my grandma had by using a vacuum pump and some of that windshield fix acrylic as a filler then repolished it . It's not like it was fake or housing to be sold plus it was a gift from my grandpa to my gma so she was happy. But I wouldn't sell things fixed like that without telling people that's truly in my eyes as a ripoff

[@wilsonrawlin8547]

Basically think of Opal as glass.

[@ProspectingMonkey]

Yes you are a lucky! Great video keep up the good work.

[@anitae]

I've wondered what would happen if you put an opal through the rock tumbling process? What would happen?

[@blackopaldirect]

It will polish it

[@ptah31]

Very informative, thank you.

[@dakotasrocks]

Cool! Great to know I can put my opals in solutions to get off the glue! You should try it with hydrophane opal!

[@blackopaldirect]

I will eventually do that if people complain about me saying hydrophane opal is stable and strong enough to withstand

[@TheInvisibleOrange26]

Haha i was just starting to get bored because there is no new videos then I come back 20second ago black opal direct uploaded a new video me let’s go I’m happy now