I have been putting off cutting this piece of 166ct rough opal. The approach to a piece this large takes a little more patience and brainpower, especially when it has a myriad of problems to naviga...
There isn’t a week that goes by without me performing a risky opal cut. The risk of the unknown can be daunting with every new piece of rough I take to the wheel. Sometimes it works out and sometim...
An incredible black opal deserves an even more extraordinary jewelry setting, and that is exactly what we achieved with Andy’s custom opal ring. An old piece of Lightning Ridge Black Opal found its...
Allawah Opal can be a little tricky to cut, especially deciphering which way to face the gem. The Allawah Opal field is known to produce spectacular Crystal Opals, let’s hope this one isn’t an exc...
A rough return isn’t something that happens very often. In this particular case, the customer wasn’t confident they could cut a decent gem out of it. Especially as this person cuts opal by hand rat...
This may look like a pork chop, but it is, in fact, a 300ct Seam Opal piece from Lightning Ridge. It looks like it may cut as white opal, however, I will investigate it further to see if crystal op...
A 100ct Nobby Opal, will it bring me obstacles or opportunities? A piece of rough this big can make for an exciting cut. Obstacles like sand patches of inclusions may occur preventing me from cutti...
This is without a doubt, the opal cut of the year! The nobby was presented to me on my last trip to Lightning Ridge for the asking price of AUD$2000. With the help of the Gemstone Flashlight, I was...
Could this Crystal Shell Fossil be the best Crystal Opal I have ever cut? It’s glassy, clear and super clean with an incredible 3D color on color. Is a fossil more valuable than an opal? In this ca...