The age-old question is, is bigger better? Sometimes the larger pieces of rough opal aren’t as straightforward as one thinks. A lot of thought goes into the execution of such a large piece of seam ...
Father and son are at it again, this time Saxon is learning to cut colored rough. Saxon’s last learning session saw him cutting and polishing a piece of potch. Having graduated from that lesson, we...
Having the ability to share my time and knowledge with my son is such a gift. I did the same thing with my father around a similar age that Saxon is now. He taught me everything I know today about ...
When an opalized fossil has a beautiful gem color, is it worth cutting? Let’s evaluate this Skin Shell opalized fossil I have to see if it’s worth keeping as a fossil or turning it into a gem. Anc...
There are a lot of ways to cut an opal, but why is this opal cut wrong? Today I have an opal rub, which is a piece of rough that someone has begun cutting. Sometimes I’ll get my hands on an opal t...
Hand polishing opal without machines is simpler than you might think; with some sandpaper, a knife hone, a piece of leather, and a bit of elbow grease, you could uncover a gem! Today, I’ll be cutti...
What is a witches hat nobby and how do I cut one? We’ll have to flip our thinking for this challenge.In this video, you’ll learn how to identify a witches hat nobby opal, as well as a couple of dif...
Today, I’ll explain to you what an opal rub is while cutting two of them! By the time you’ve finished watching this video, you’ll have an answer to these questions: What is an opal rub? Why would ...
Cutting small gems can be an intimidating task if you’ve never done it before. It is a little more fiddly than cutting a larger gem but, with practice, you can master the few techniques I’ve learnt...