Gems emerge from rough opal…Sometimes its a real challenge to work out what to do with a piece of rough opal.While Justin may be the expert, he also finds time spent examining a piece of rough is i...
In this latest video watch master cutter Justin from Black Opal Direct show you how to improve the value of opal.Justin happily shows you a gem grade Black Opal which has a visible ‘black mark’ on...
Justin heads out to Lightning Ridge to talk about how to find opal. After drilling in excess of 3000 holes in the pursuit of opal, Sebastian, our expert miner, knows a thing or two. Opal prospectin...
Mind-blowing and busy – that’s how we would describe the 2015 Tucson Gem Show. A celebration of all things Gem, Mineral and Fossil the choice and variety is unimaginable. One dealer remarked that a...
What opal cutting wheels do I need is an often asked question. In this video, Justin will show you exactly what your options are.We start at the beginning with a 200-250 grit wheel for the rubbing ...
You’ve asked, your’ve begged and the stars have finally aligned – we are going to be in Tucson for the gems shows in Feb 2015!Showing exclusively by appointment only we will have a wide selection o...
Thank you to all in our community for making Christmas special for someone. A few weeks ago we brought you the story of Steiner Florian, a 14-year-old boy who has been opal cutting with sandpaper a...
Yesterday morning I was sent an image on Facebook by someone who asked if the stone was a real opal. As you can see from the image I thought that it was and to me, it looks like Australian material...
We buy opal for many reasons, most obviously because it’s beautiful, but there is often something more. It speaks to us. It tells us a story about our best selves. Opals have energy. “Desert Sands...