Cutting a white rough opal into a dazzling gem

We have a beaut’ rough white opal this week that boasts an easy cut and a dazzling gem.

Lightning Ridge is famous for the glorious black opal, but have you met its lighter cousin?

Starting at a chunky 32-carats, this rough white opal has the potential to birth a thick color bar. It’s no black opal, but don’t let that fool you! Lightning Ridge creates all kinds of opal, from black to white and dark to crystal. The infamous home of black opal is equally as notorious for being much more than meets the eye.

I’m hoping that this rough white opal is more than meets my eye, but there’s only one way for us to find out… I’m going in.

The Final Gem

This chunky white opal landed me a 9.72-carat stone with dazzling orange color taking centre stage. The blue, green and purple flecks add a gorgeous contrast to warmer hues to create a beautiful gem. Cutting this rough was such a pleasant experience which can be hard to come by in a cutter’s workshop. Sometimes opal has you hanging on by the seat of your pants, and occasionally, it breaks your heart. Lucky for me, today wasn’t one of those days!