I apparently made a rookie mistake and used sticky wax while setting these Indonesian opal cabs. As you can see, the color from the wax has seeped into the opal. I’m looking for some suggestions as to how I might remove this color without ruining the stone or the settings. Thank you for your feedback.
Hi Catherine,
What type of wax was used? How porous do you think the opal is? It’s possible the wax stains are surface only. (best scenario) If it’s topical only, you could repolish the stones using 1000grit or higher to see if the stains are surface only.
Do you have anymore of this material? It may be good to use some spare material and replicate the “accident”, then use that as a test article. Course this could become an expensive experiment.
-Troy
Thanks, Troy. I used sprue wax I’ve had sitting around for years. I’ve tried 1000 grit and it has lightened them some, but has not removed the stains.
1 Like
Hi Catherine,
That is somewhat good news but unfortunately, the porosity of the opal material may have soaked in the dye from the sprue wax, a bit deeper. The only thing that comes to mind is additional abrasion of the affected areas.
That would be a judgement call for you to make. Personally, I would try to remove more, using the 1K grit and then repolish with higher grit, such as 5,000, 10,000 class polishing compound or paper.
(Apologize for the delay in responding…work has been primary focus past few days.) 
Cheers!
-Troy
Now I’ve been away, Troy, but I appreciate your response. Fortunately the stains did not go all the way through the stone. 600 grit on the wheel removed them, then I was able to repolish them.
1 Like
Catherine,
Really glad that you were able to remove the stain. I was hoping 1k grit would be enough, so you wouldn’t have to bite into the stone too much. Hope the 600 grit didn’t remove too much. They are really nice looking and the bezel setting is unique.
Cheers!
Troy