The moment I saw this black opal nobby from Lightning Ridge, it caught my eye for one very specific reason. The potch line was almost perfect and the color looked like it could be a near match to o...
From the outside, this blue Lightning Ridge nobby looked unassuming. Nothing about it screamed cut me until I shone the Gemfish through it... What I discovered was a very dark body tone with no po...
Every now and then a piece of rough tells you exactly what it wants to be. This was one of those pieces. A glassy Lightning Ridge crystal opal with a white cap and a hidden layer of orange sitting ...
Freshly back from Lightning Ridge visiting Saxon and our operation, this nobby was the very first piece I pulled from a brand new parcel. From the second it was in my hand, something felt different...
This week I'm taking on three opals at once. Each one a long shot on its own, but together giving us three times the chance of uncovering something special. First up is a half witch's hat nobby alr...
This 83 carat piece of Lightning Ridge rough had me from the moment I picked it up. A stunning red color bar wrapping all the way around the rough, signs of black potch hiding inside, and the kind ...
I just got back from Lightning Ridge helping Saxon with his mining operation. While I was there, a close friend of my late father handed me a 140 carat piece of black Lightning Ridge rough. One sta...
This cutting video starts where it all begins — straight from the agitator at the mine in Lightning Ridge. A 30 carat rough piece with holes, uncertainty, and a color that hints at something incred...
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 f...