High-Risk Black Opal Cut

When it comes to opal, every slice carries both risk and reward.

In this high-risk black opal cut, I take on a $10,000 parcel from Lightning Ridge that looks more like a gamble than a sure thing. Thin material, uncertain color bars, and the possibility of losing everything make this one of the most nerve-wracking cuts yet. But that’s the thrill of opal—one moment it looks like nothing, the next it reveals a flash of brilliance that makes your heart skip a beat.

The Gamble of Chasing Color

From the very first grind, this parcel tested every ounce of patience and experience. Each slice revealed small flashes of promise—tiny color bars and hints of brightness—but nothing clean or consistent. I weighed up every decision: go deeper and risk losing the color altogether, or stop short and settle for patchy, lower-value stones.

The tension peaked when gray potch threatened to swamp the color bars, leaving me with little more than dull, unusable opal. At one point, I even admitted to myself (and you all) how nervous I was, thinking I'd “done my dough” on this one. But persistence pays in opal cutting. With careful grinding, the black base I was hoping for finally appeared, and with it, flashes of extraordinary color.

Finding beauty in imperfection

By the end of this high-risk black opal cut, the results were mixed but far from disastrous. A 3.94ct gemstone valued at around $1,000 a carat and a 2.90ct gem at $1,500 a carat proved that even when the odds look grim, opal can still deliver. Yes, white spots and patchy potch held the gems back from reaching their full potential, but that’s the reality of cutting—it’s never guaranteed, no matter how much experience you bring to the wheel.

This story is a reminder that every opal holds its own mystery. Sometimes it’s triumph, sometimes it’s heartbreak, and often it’s a bit of both. That’s why we keep coming back to the wheel. With opal, the risk is almost always worth the reward.