Tag: video

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Cushion Cut Opal: A revived shape

Now we aren’t talking about the soft furnishing kinds but rather the opal shape that is appearing more and more. Cushion cut opal has been around forever and we often see boulder opal in rectangles or cushions. During the early parts of last century you find some beautiful examples of cushion cut white opal, but where is the cushion cut black? We know that it’s a really popular shape for mens rings and in smaller sizes for art deco inspired womens rings. If you have the material, cushion cut opal is also great in earring designs. Did you know you can now search our inventory based on shape? Just refine each…

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Mesmerising transformation from nobby to gem opal

Watch a gem opal transform

Love gem opal but not into learning how to cut? This video is for you! Watch Justin transform an opal from a raw nobby into a massive wearable gem opal. Nobby opal like this is fairly typical for the field it was found on. The Wyoming field is about 30 minutes north of Lightning Ridge. The field has been mined for many years and has yielded much opal including some fairly significant gemstones. And don’t worry, if you are on the lookout for some cutting tips, Justin does manage to squeeze a few in! Along the way he discusses how you can tell if the colour bar is clear (hint: buy yourself…

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Cutting large opals to perfection

Cutting large opals takes some time and effort. In this video Justin goes through the process once the stone has been rubbed into a rough shape. He starts on the 360 grit diamond wheel and then progresses to a 600 grit soft nova wheel  then a 1200 grit until he ends up on the felt wheel with cerium oxide. Along the way he shares some tips and tricks when cutting such a large stone. It’s a long video at over 20 minutes but an excellent one to sit down and really study as you get to see exactly what Justin does when cutting. How he moves the stone around the wheels…

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