Gems emerge from rough opal
Gems emerge from rough opal… Sometimes its a real challenge to work out what to do with a piece of rough opal. While Justin may … Read more
How to improve the value of opal | VIDEO
In this latest video watch master cutter Justin from Black Opal Direct show you how to improve the value of opal. Justin happily shows you … Read more
What opal cutting wheels do I need?
What opal cutting wheels do I need is an often asked question. In this video, Justin will show you exactly what your options are. We … Read more
Making Christmas special for 14-year-old opal cutting enthusiast
Thank you to all in our community for making Christmas special for someone. A few weeks ago we brought you the story of Steiner Florian, a … Read more
Talent in unexpected places: Opal cutting with sandpaper and leather
Yesterday morning I was sent an image on Facebook by someone who asked if the stone was a real opal. As you can see from … Read more
How to handle small opals when cutting
Small opals can yield amazing colours and patterns. Watch the instructional video on how to handle small opals when cutting. The cutting process remains the … Read more
Are black opal nobbies the most difficult to cut and polish?
We all know that Lightning Ridge black opal is some of the best in the world. Unfortunately, along with being the best, it is also … Read more
Watch a top gem black opal being cut|New Video
Today Justin shows you a top gem black opal being recut. A customer sent the opal because it was slightly out of shape and didn’t … Read more
Jurgen Thomas
On June 25, we said goodbye to Justin’s Father, Jurgen Thomas, who established our company over 50 years ago. Jurgen emigrated from East Germany and, … Read more
How to cut opal – see a gem emerge from a rough opal
A customer bought a rough piece of opal and was unsure how it should be cut. He decided to send it back, so Justin cut … Read more
Donald Trump’s $399 opal cutting challenge
A few weeks ago, we posted about Blue Opal and some new parcels we had in stock. One of our subscribers commented and set us a … Read more
Weird and Wonderful Ways to use Opal
There are some amazing stories out there and it seems the opal world has more than it’s fair share. The most jaw dropping (pardon the … Read more
