A Collection Worthy Crystal

Every now and then a piece of rough tells you exactly what it wants to be. This was one of those pieces. A glassy Lightning Ridge crystal opal with a white cap and a hidden layer of orange sitting quietly beneath the skin and waiting to be uncovered. 

Crystal opal has a transparency that makes every decision feel higher stakes. You can see deeper into the gem as you work, which means the color reveals itself gradually rather than all at once. And with a suspected double-sided color bar in play, every angle had to be considered carefully.

Sand spots fought back along the way and cost me more of the opal than I would have liked. But what emerged from the rough was something that stopped me in my tracks.

You don't want to miss this cut. Of course, I wanted to add this to my collection but the office wouldn't let me!