We hit the road again and this time it’s straight to Opal Town! Lightning Ridge is one of my favorite places to visit. The town holds many sentimental memories of my dad and the time we spent worki...
This 40-year-old rough has been safely locked away until now. The time has come to cut this opal rough hailing from Coober Pedy. I feel very lucky to be able to cut this beautiful piece. Coober Pe...
Finding a broken nobby is like finding one earring, it’s nice but so much better to have the pair. Did I end up with the better half? Is the other piece bigger and better? What’s a Broken Nobby? S...
Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained is pretty much the motto of any opal cutter. The risk can become somewhat calculated over time, but you never really know what is happening inside that piece of rou...
From little things, big things grow. This is such a great way to describe the journey of an opal. It begins with the hopes and dreams of the miner — the time and effort spent searching for somethin...
Petite & Perfect, is a synergy that works well in the opal jewelry world. We love all types of opal — shapes, sizes, colors and patterns, flaws and all! And contrary to the belief, bigger isn’t...
When faced with a whopping 137ct nobby opal, my eyes pour over the rough gem to visualize the multitude of possible outcomes.Where does the best color seem to be sitting?Is there a better pattern u...
Win, Lose or Draw — Welcome to the World of Opal! Even after decades of buying and cutting opal, I can still get it really wrong. But that is the risk you take when you work with Opal. The highs an...
Jaymin Sullivan of the Young Guns Opal Hunters (from the Outback Opal Hunters) happened to drop by my workshop. With him, he brought one of the best rough opal pieces they have ever found while ...