What exactly is play of color? Is it unique to opal—and how can you tell? This week, Justin dives into what play of color means across different gemstones, and why opal’s version is truly one of a ...
Last week I explained in detail the features of rough opal nobbies and what to look out for. This week I’ll show you exactly what we get out of the piece of rough opal by cutting that very piece.We...
In todays video Justin shows us the results of the rough crystal opal which he sliced instead of polished. He decides to cut several pairs and the results are spectacular.As you can see the differ...
Justin reports on the 2018 Lightning Ridge Festival and Opal Symposium plus he shares some of his favourite places.Like all of Justin’s communication, he prefers pictures to words! If you are a wor...
Now we aren’t talking about the soft furnishing kinds but rather the opal shape that is appearing more and more. Cushion cut opal has been around forever and we often see boulder opal in rectangles...
Love gem opal but not into learning how to cut? This video is for you!Watch Justin transform an opal from a raw nobby into a massive wearable gem opal.Nobby opal like this is fairly typical for the...
Cutting large opals takes some time and effort. In this video Justin goes through the process once the stone has been rubbed into a rough shape.He starts on the 360 grit diamond wheel and then prog...
The rough and unpolished gem weighs a massive 568.69 carats and measures 95 x 59 x 25 mm. For more on the origin and story visit the Part 1 post. Next week, we will reveal the equally amazing stor...
It’s pretty risky in our state at the moment with ex Tropical Cyclone Debbie battering us with heavy rain (12 inches in the last 24 hours – same expected tonight), subsequent flooding and tonight v...