I THINK THAT OPALS ARE THE PRETTIEST OF ALL GEMS,,THE FIREY COLORS THE SHINE,,,,,JUST PLAIN OLE AWSOME!!!! I RECENTLY FOUND OUT ABOUT A  MAN THAT IS 88 YEARS YOUNG AND THEY CALL HIM THE "ROCK MAN" HE HAS BEEN CUTTING,COLLECTING,AND SELLING ALL KINDS OF PRECIOUS STONES,,FOR THE LAST 80 YEARS,,,HE TOLD ME HE STARTED AT A YOUNG AGE OF 8 AND WAS TRAINED BY HIS FATHER,,,AND WAS HOOKED ON IT TO THE POINT WHERE HE HAS MADE IT HIS CAREER,,,,,,AT HIS PLACE HE HAS ALL SORTS OF ROUGH AND FACETED AND AWSOMELY CUT STONES,,TO CHOOSE FROM,,,I HAD BOUGHT SOME RAW COOBER PEDY OPALS FROM EBAY AND BROUGHT THEM TO HIM AND ASKED HIM,,WHAT? IF ANYTHING? WERE THEY WORTH AND COULD I USE THEM TO MAKE JEWELRY OUT OF? AND HE TOLD ME UNLESS THEY HAVE BEEN PRE-CUT INTO DIFFERENT SHAPED STONES TO BE PLACED INTO A SETTING,OR IF THE OPAL DOESNT HAVE FIRE ALL THE WAY THROUGH IT, ITS NOT REALLY WORTH MESSING WITH,,UNLESS YOU USE THEM IN AN INLAY,,OR YOU JUST REALLY LIKE THEM FOR THEIR BEAUTY,,,,THEIR NOT WORTH MUCH,,,,,HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT IF YOU DIDNT SOAK THE OPALS IN WATER,,THEN THEY WOULD DRY OUT AND CRACK,,,,WHEN THIS HAPPENS,,THE OPAL IS WORTH NOTHING NO MATTER THE SIZE,,,I DIDNT KNOW THIS,,,,DONT WORRY ABOUT THE WATER HURTING THE GOLD THE OPAL IS SET IN,,,CAUSE WATER CANT HURT GOLD,,,,,SOOOO,,TO KEEP THEM OPALS SHINNING FOR A LONG LONG LONG TIME!!!!  BE SURE TO SOAK THEM IN WATER!!!! WHO WOULDA THUNK IT?,,,,THANKS AND BE SURE TO RATE THIS REVIEW AS WITH ALL OF MY REVIEWS!!!!