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...
There's a moment every opal cutter knows. The wheel is spinning, the rough is in your hand, and you genuinely don't know what's about to happen next. This week, I'm putting a 300 carat seam opal fr...