Well what a crazy last few days it’s been here up at the Ridge. The place is full of energy with so many people in town for the meeting on Saturday. It felt just like the old days – at the height of the black opal rush in the 90′s. Despite the crisis of government [...]
Welcome to our first tip for 2013.We are so looking forward to this year and have some great ideas on rough opal and cut stones to share. We want to help you all grow your opal knowledge and well as your collections so get ready for lots of information to come your way! This week’s [...]
Drilling opal requires a little expertise and a lot of patience. Watch Justin as he shows you the best way how.
In this video Justin introduces his father Jurgen who has been carving opal for over 50 years. Jurgen really is a master and is passionate about the art of opal carving. The Dremel is a handheld tool that will allow you to carve with precision. All it takes is some patience and very good eyesight. [...]
A few weeks ago I told you about a potential new opal find out at a station called Barfield. Well, the word out it that it is very promising. Barfield is a cattle station about 75 kms (46 miles) south west of Lightning Ridge. Close to the Grawin and Sheepyard opal fields, it has [...]
There are many different ways to cut rough opal out form its raw state. Some people use corundum wheels and some use diamond wheels. I have even seen people use sandpaper by hand to get a smooth finish to the opal. And then sand the piece down to the size of a ring setting. That [...]
What type of opal cutting machines can I use? There are many cutting machines and ways to cut and polish opal. Finding the opal-cutting machine that suites you is the question that most people have on their mind when starting out. When choosing an opal-cutting machine you have to take into account whether you are [...]
Loose opals are opal solids that have not been set into any jewelry yet. The best way to have your own piece of opal jewelry that is custom made for you is to buy your loose opals first, By buying the loose opals first you can choose what color and pattern you want or prefer [...]
Fissures are cavities that have been formed underground by movement in the fault lines. When a fault line moves it can push against another fault coming from another direction and push until their is a cavity. Opal is formed in these fissures or cavities.
Recent Blog Comments