166ct Rough Opal

I have been putting off cutting this piece of 166ct rough opal.

The approach to a piece this large takes a little more patience and brainpower, especially when it has a myriad of problems to navigate. However, this piece was my son Saxon’s choice for our next cutting video, so here we go!

Turning A Challenge Into A Gem

First things first, a quick check with my trusty gemfish flashlight (find it here) revealed some good news: the color bar was clean, and there was a flat potch line at the bottom — boom! Fire up the cutting machine and let’s start cleaning it up.

As I worked, I noticed the black potch started showing up, but the sand was creeping in deep, making the dome smaller than I’d hoped.
It was clear there were two main color bars with a thick potch line in between. To salvage the best of this opal, I decided to slice through the sand and potch, hoping to reveal something spectacular.

The first slice showed some beautiful colors, hinting at the potential of this stone. However, I faced a dilemma: the color bar was thinning out on one side, making it risky to slice off the top for an extra gem. Instead, I focused on removing the sand and potch to expose the vibrant color bar underneath. As I continued, the color bar started to emerge beautifully, despite some gray webbing. I was thrilled to see the potential of this opal coming to life.

A 166ct Rough Opal to a…

In the end, it was a big win. Cutting this opal was a rollercoaster of decisions and surprises, but that’s the joy of working with these incredible gem opals. What do you think? Did I make the right choices, or was there another path I should have taken?