Red Brilliance

This week I'm putting a dark opal nobby from Lightning Ridge on the wheel. From the moment I picked it up, that color sitting on the surface had my full attention. The shape is already close to a finished gem, the color is right there, and at first glance it almost seems straightforward. But then I shone the Gemfish through it.

Shadows. And where there are shadows, there are questions.

Hidden inside this nobby are small pits, sand spots, and an uneven color bar that means every single pass on the wheel has to count. Take too much off one side and that beautiful color could vanish in an instant. The difference between a stunning finished gem and a ruined one could come down to a single careful movement.

This one isn't about speed. It's about patience, precision, and reading the gem every step of the way.

Will the color hold through the whole cut or will those shadows have the final say?

I walk through the entire process in this video, from examining the rough and removing the skin, right through to shaping and chasing that clean finished gem. If you've ever wanted to understand what really goes into cutting opal, this one is a masterclass in why the smallest adjustments make the biggest difference.

🎥 Watch now and see how it turns out.