New synthetic opals are being created every year and manufacturers are getting better at replicating natural opal. I recently obtained some of the new material from Tony Smallwood and thought it wa...
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...
Campbell Bridges is a world renowned geologist, explorer and gemologist. He discovered Tsavoritenand brought Tanzanite to the USA in the 1960s. One stone not synonymous with him is opal – until now...
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...
The Eternal Flame – The World’s Rarest Opal A mammoth 568 carats “The Eternal Flame” is the largest and most significant black crystal ever found. What makes it even rarer is its origin. The volcan...
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...
There are a few rules to follow when changing a lapidary wheel on your machine but it’s not as hard as you might think! In this video, I show you the simple steps to changing a lapidary wheel. Unsc...
It’s International Women’s Day today and I started thinking about all the women I have known and collaborated with over the years in the opal industry. Many of these women are unknown and unsung b...
We’ve shown you the special Anadmooka crystal as it is in the rough but what about cutting it? How does it respond in contrast to Lightning Ridge material? In this new video Justin shows you how to...