Coober Pedy Opal

We have heard your cries of ‘when are we going to see a piece of Coober Pedy opal being cut?’
and…
‘Coober Pedy opal is awesome too you know!’.
So we’ve listened and decided to give the people what they want and take you on a cutting journey with the very special South Australian gem.

Opal Alchemy

Watch as we turn a White Opal into a Crystal Opal before your very eyes!
This isn’t magic although, we do consider ourselves magicians in the world of opal… Alakazam!
We start with a lovely piece of seam opal from Coober Pedy, which as it stands, is a White Opal.
However, if we slice it up, my hope is that I can get them to a point where they are translucent enough to be Crystal Opals.

Coober Pedy Fun Facts

  • Coober Pedy is known as the original opal capital of the world
  • Famous for their underground lifestyle — shopping, churches, and houses are located underground
  • Houses are built into the hills and were known as dugouts in the early days
  • By building underground they protect the town folk from the scorching heat in summer and the freezing cold in winter

Bounty

After slicing the opal into pieces, they immediately became more translucent.
It seems the smaller pieces the brighter they became.
Drumroll please…. and the final count is…
Not two, not three, not even four, but FIVE pieces of gem Crystal Opal!

We have asked our very own Ruth to cast her eye over the finished gems and give her expert opinion on what jewelry setting would work best.

Perfect setting –
Tatiana with Diamonds Pendant with any color gold metal.
Perfect setting –
A Ruthie or Johanna Necklace or a Tatiana Ring in rose gold.
Perfect setting –
Any necklace or pendant setting or a Stephanie/Stevie yellow gold ring
Perfect setting –
A single stud earring in yellow or rose gold
Perfect setting –
A single stud earring in yellow or rose gold

10 thoughts on “Coober Pedy Opal”

  1. Fabulous as usual Justin, it’s wonderful watching you work, gives such ecouragement to those of us still learning. Thanks so much 🙂

    Reply
  2. Beautiful crystal opal Justin. How much did you value add by cutting the smaller pieces rather than a larger white opal?
    We have been to Coober Pedy a number of times and recommend opal lovers to go take a look. The Outback scenery from the Breakaways is just brilliant. So much to see there. Do you ever cut boulder opal? We were in Winton last year and there were some beautiful stones in the shops there. Love your work.

    Reply
    • Thanks Connie Yeah I do enjoy making these videos too. I did a few over the festive period that were easy just to give you something to do with opal rather than nothing. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Watching you bring opals to life is the best part…..I wouldn’t fast forward and miss the process if I had to!!! Gorgeous color gems.
    Always enjoy your videos
    thank you

    Reply

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