Does opal have NO color?!
Watch out… opal color rant! Justin’s back this week and boy, he’s got something on his mind… In the early days of opals discovery, when … Read more
Crystal Opal is Not Crystal
Justin clears up confusion and let’s us in on his simple technique of telling what is, and what isn’t, a crystal opal. How can we … Read more
The dangers of opal cutting
Justin explains the dangers of opal cutting and his change from sandpaper to the Nova wheel; why change? What difference does it make? … Read more
The Crystal Edit – Opals Under $1000
Mothers, like crystal opal, have a way of adding beauty to the everyday; fresh cut flowers on the dining table, delicious aromas that drift to … Read more
What’s inside the nobby opal: Part 2
Last week I explained in detail the features of rough opal nobbies and what to look out for. This week I’ll show you exactly what we … Read more
The Australian Opal Centre becomes a reality
FANTASTIC NEWS! The Australian Opal Centre (AOC), an icon for outback Australia and the home of all things opal has been funded! The local, state … Read more
Three unique features of nobby rough opal from Lightning Ridge
I’ve been cutting some new nobby rough opal from Lightning Ridge. I thought it be good to share some of the unique features of these … Read more
Watch a rough opal piece transform and then be appraised.
So many times now I have taken a video of a rough opal that I’ve cut and polished. For once I wanted to show you … Read more
Opal Edition: InColor Magazine
The latest edition of InColor magazine is here with not one but two articles by Black Opal Direct! InColor is the magazine produced by the … Read more
Synthetic opal or not? These opals need testing!
While I was in Tucson this year I cam across some opal that had me stumped for a while. At first I thought it was … Read more
Slicing Opal Without A Slicing Machine
So often we have to buy expensive cutting equipment to do certain jobs with opal. But there is a shortcut when it comes to slicing … Read more
Making decisions on what shapes to create with rough crystal opal: Part 2 video
In todays video Justin shows us the results of the rough crystal opal which he sliced instead of polished. He decides to cut several pairs … Read more
