A Risky Opal Cut

There isn’t a week that goes by without me performing a risky opal cut.

The risk of the unknown can be daunting with every new piece of rough I take to the wheel. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t, and there are many times the gem result far exceeds my expectations. Tune in to see the risk and reward.

Decisions, decisions…

First things first, I studied the piece of rough opal with the Gemfish IF1 Flashlight.
I quickly realised I couldn’t see through the color bar. My immediate thought was to slice it into two separate pieces. This is a large risk as the potch could ruin everything if it runs directly through the middle. Doing it this way is quite a gamble, but it’s a gamble I am willing to take. Off to the slicer we go!

Have I made the right decision? On the one hand, the middle could be full of potch, on the other hand, I could potentially have two beautiful gems.

A Risky Opal Cut (paid off)

Badda Bing, Badda Boom! Two gorgeous matching gems it is!
I worked with the natural shape of the nobby and used the color bar as a guide to create two drop shape opals. It’s been a good day in the workshop with great results, and we’ll do it all again tomorrow.

Thanks for tuning in, you can check out the bounty below.