Allawah Opal can be a little tricky to cut, especially deciphering which way to face the gem.
The Allawah Opal field is known to produce spectacular Crystal Opals, let’s hope this one isn’t an exception.
Allawah Opal
The Allawah Opal field is approximately 20 km north of Lightning Ridge and is possibly the newest field producing opal.
This area produces some incredible Crystal Opal from fossils, specifically from wood or wood replacement fossils.
Personally, I love Crystal Opals for their play of color and depth.
I hope my approach on how to cut Allawah Nobby’s works out, as I would love to finish with an epic Crystal Opal.
Image courtesy of Bonzol.com
It’s Showtime
We have a decent-sized white cap and what looks like a nice color bar.
I am a little concerned that the cap is too thick and if I grind it all off the color bar may be too thin.
However, it must come off.
I can see a sand blob smack bang in the middle when I shine my gemfish flashlight into the rough.
The middle is where I aim to keep it and let’s hope it doesn’t appear in the color bar.
I will take a little off the back of the rough first to see how it faces.
The back color is nice but I believe what is under that cap will be even better.
I’m going in…
The Result
Well, well, well, the color on the front under the cap is most definitely nicer than the back.
The inclusions worried me for a while but I managed to eliminate most of them.
And that final color after a polish is pretty spectacular if I do say so myself!
With vivid green, blue, orange and red radiating through the floral and flagstone patterns.
Thank you for the wonderful video. Special thanks for the map showing exactly where the Allawah Fields are located. Kylie was kind in answering my question of where the crystal opal (SKU BN 1901) we purchased in August 2023 was born. She said… “The opal was mined from the Allawah fields, north of Lightning Ridge.”
It certainly is beautiful but I get to enjoy it more than my wife because when she sits across from me, I get to gaze not only at her but upon that magnificent gem set in that beautiful Tatiana pendant!
Enjoy all the videos, both short and long. Also enjoy Samson’s narrative on polished gems and his stunning work as he learns from the true opal master, Justin.
Glad you enjoyed the video and the little map of the Lightning Ridge fields.
We especially enjoyed your lovely comment about your beautiful wife and your admiration for her and our Tatiana Pendant adorning her.
Thank you for your ongoing support.