The Copyte Needle Nobby we’re cutting today is not your average piece of rough. This half nobby is missing the classic cap you’d expect to see — and in its place? A web of copyte needles running th...
Top gem crystal opal cut moments don’t come around often, but this gemstone delivered the kind of excitement cutters live for. From the moment the 23-carat nobby hit the wheel, there was that feeli...
A High Profit Opal Cut is the kind of session every opal cutter dreams of — strong instincts, a few obstacles, and a result that proves why experience matters. From the moment this 28-carat Allawah...
Opal Cutting Recovery Effort doesn’t get much more real than this — one final chance to claw back a $25,000 investment from a brutal 4,500 carat opal parcel that simply refused to cooperate. After ...
When we talk about the Top Ten Best Opal Cuts, we're really diving into a decade-long journey of remarkable gems, bold risks, and some of the biggest wins in Black Opal Direct history. This video r...
When it comes to opal, every decision is a leap of faith — and this week’s Opal Cutting Gamble was no exception. Out at the Ridge, a miner placed a sandy, uncertain nobby in front of us with a $1,5...
Every so often, a little opal nobby comes along that reminds us why we love what we do. Little Opal Nobby, Hefty Profit is one of those stories — a lesson in patience, instinct, and knowing when t...
When it comes to cutting opal, every decision can make or break a gem. In this Black Opal Gamble, Justin takes on a piece that could swing wildly between triumph and disaster — a nobby that might ...
There’s nothing like the thrill of possibility—and the risk—when working with opal. In this cutting session, I found a seam opal with a rare striated pattern, the very same pattern as the rainbow ...