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...
Artificial Intelligence is a wave of technology that is coming whether we like it or not. And unfortunately, even the opal and gemstone world has not been spared. What was once a straightforward pa...
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...
Choosing the right ring size is just as important as choosing the perfect opal. Whether you're buying a ready-made ring or having one custom made, knowing your correct size ensures a comfortable fi...
Recently, I’ve heard that some people on the outer edges of the opal industry have been putting words in my mouth saying that I don’t buy or sell Coober Pedy opal because it cracks, or that it’s so...
For the first time ever, Saxon went out and bought a piece of rough completely on his own. No safety net and no second opinion. Just a 250 carat nobby from the Wyoming field and a bit of courage. O...
The Copyte Needle Nobby we’re cutting today is not your average piece of rough. This half nobby is missing the classic cap you’d expect to see — and in its place? A web of copyte needles running th...