thecrystalisle
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 142
|
Post by thecrystalisle on Oct 29, 2020 17:51:11 GMT -5
|
|
thecrystalisle
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 142
|
Post by thecrystalisle on Oct 29, 2020 17:59:38 GMT -5
is $800 too much for this piece, a steal, or just about the retail value? Thanks in advance
|
|
lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 766
|
Post by lordsorril on Oct 29, 2020 18:15:26 GMT -5
The rock is really nice. As for the expression on the sculpture...what that horse has seen...cannot be unseen...
|
|
quartzilla
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 1,215
|
Post by quartzilla on Oct 29, 2020 19:01:28 GMT -5
I like it. The horse kinda looks like Beethoven.
|
|
|
Post by opalpyrexia on Oct 29, 2020 19:15:33 GMT -5
Here's what Paul Downing had to say in his book, Opal Identification & Value, about opal carvings: "In valuing a carved opal, value it as if it were a traditional opal cut in a freeform shape. Pay particular attention to cracks as they are more common in carved pieces. ... However, for display carvings, cracks are faulted only if they distract from the design."
He's not much help.
You might be able to check the Opal Auctions site for completed sales of similar quality boulder opal to get an approximate value per carat. My guess is that would yield an absolute upper limit for your 2,600 carat sculpture.
Paul Downing also says this:
"The value of opal carvings has been quite perplexing to me. I expected that these carvings would have an opal value plus an addition for the workmanship and art of the carving. Unfortunately, after many years of dealing with all qualities and types of opal carvings, I have come to a different conclusion. Opal carvings, even exceptional ones, often do not sell for as much as an opal cabochon of equal quality and size. They should, but they don't. I have no explanation for this, but it is a fact."
When the expert is stumped, I think that we're pretty much on our own. Is it worth $800 to you?
It's not much, but I hope that this is helpful.
|
|
dreamrocks
freely admits to licking rocks
I got lucky this morning and was able to post this no others since
Member since November 2018
Posts: 888
|
Post by dreamrocks on Oct 29, 2020 19:54:23 GMT -5
As far as the expression of what the horse has seen or just experienced as a totally different conversation all together.
Like did he just get cast cut off no more fun. With all that said another thing to consider before selling as real. I am thinking if you have no documentation for this carving apparently you do not or else you would have some idea of the value already.
Now considering I have been wanting to eventually enroll in GIA for quite some time now I have read a lot about fake gems & minerals on the market.
Gold stone comes to mind first, then arora what ever I can’t spell either and notability golden calcite being also offered as citrine. All above stones are manmade except golden calcite also sold falsely as citrine and as real stones by phonies in the business
Now take China and a few other countries they live to fake anything with the intentions of being sold as natural in todays gemstone market is buyer beware. I have natural most likely heat treated maybe not sapphires corn flower blue but the point is they are real but with no paperwork for where the stone is from that verification is needed for them to be sold as real for full price just the same is true no paperwork not as valuable but sellable as long you state no paperwork
however nowhere as valuable as if there was a paper trail stating where they came from heated or natural which gives the history of the stone making them a real valuable treasure not just another pebble found in the sand
Beware if you sell that as real with no paperwork and a collector buys it gets it appraised by a appraiser for insurance purposes with out first giving disclosure that you know nothing about the carving except you think you out smarted someone.
They find out it’s a fake and can document you ripped them off who gets the deal of the day. Just because you think you saw a cow jumping over the moon don’t mean it happened while you were awake you only thought you were awake but 😴
Go ahead sell it mark up the price tell everybody it’s real who carved it where the material is from and what a deal they are getting make sure a real collector buys it has it appraised for insurance purposes
|
|
|
Post by stardiamond on Oct 29, 2020 21:41:14 GMT -5
|
|
hummingbirdstones2
fully equipped rock polisher
Vince A., 1958-2023
Member since August 2018
Posts: 1,461
|
Post by hummingbirdstones2 on Oct 30, 2020 9:44:46 GMT -5
Agree with Downing's assessment of pricing on carved opal. The artistic aesthetics and subject matter will carry more weight than the material.
Another consideration on this one is that the base and head are from different rough. Both undoubtedly real - but of different grades and from different pieces of rough.
Can't give you an estimate due to these factors, but as an opal cutter and collector I'd be more likely to buy a piece of the rough that the head come from than.
|
|
|
Post by hummingbirdstones on Oct 30, 2020 9:58:03 GMT -5
I agree with opalpyrexia. It's what YOU think it's worth. Carvings are one of those personal things that can only be appraised by you. Subject matter has a huge impact for different people. You might be really in to horses and the next guy, not so much.
Unless it was carved by a famous artist, I don't even know that there's any way to truly appraise it. I'm not really attracted to larger rock carvings myself. I tend to look at them as cabbing rough. I do like the smaller carvings that can be used in jewelry, though, and they have a much greater value to me.
Not helpful, I know, but I thought I'd toss in my opinion.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,773
|
Post by gemfeller on Oct 30, 2020 11:46:02 GMT -5
One other thought earned through hard experience: do not trust any appraiser who is not intimately familiar with opal and opal pricing. Most folks who hang up shingles as "appraisers" are sadly lacking in opal knowledge. They specialize in well known gems but lack the vast amount of knowledge/experience needed to do accurate opal pricing. Opal is probably the most difficult of all gems to price accurately.
|
|
|
Post by stardiamond on Oct 30, 2020 14:47:12 GMT -5
One other thought earned through hard experience: do not trust any appraiser who is not intimately familiar with opal and opal pricing. Most folks who hang up shingles as "appraisers" are sadly lacking in opal knowledge. They specialize in well known gems but lack the vast amount of knowledge/experience needed to do accurate opal pricing. Opal is probably the most difficult of all gems to price accurately. I don't think any opal appraiser is qualified to assign a value to this piece. A person needs to know stone carvings and then decide how much the value needs to be adjusted because it was made from boulder opal. I really like boulder opal but gave up looking for it because of the cost of really good material. Cutting this up into smaller pieces would reduce it's value to near nothing.
|
|
|
Post by rockjunquie on Oct 30, 2020 17:18:03 GMT -5
is $800 too much for this piece, a steal, or just about the retail value? Thanks in advance Like everyone seems to be asking - what is it worth to you? Frankly, for no good reason at all- I think 800 may be ok. But, I know squat. There's a lot of color and the opal seems pretty stable. The quality of the carving seems to be pretty good, too. Not your typical crap (if you know what I mean). You don't say how big it is.
Since you are a collector, what are your thoughts on it- compared to other carvings you've seen? Where are you buying from?
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,773
|
Post by gemfeller on Oct 30, 2020 18:36:47 GMT -5
One other thought earned through hard experience: do not trust any appraiser who is not intimately familiar with opal and opal pricing. Most folks who hang up shingles as "appraisers" are sadly lacking in opal knowledge. They specialize in well known gems but lack the vast amount of knowledge/experience needed to do accurate opal pricing. Opal is probably the most difficult of all gems to price accurately. I don't think any opal appraiser is qualified to assign a value to this piece. A person needs to know stone carvings and then decide how much the value needs to be adjusted because it was made from boulder opal. I really like boulder opal but gave up looking for it because of the cost of really good material. Cutting this up into smaller pieces would reduce it's value to near nothing. I was referring to an appraiser who knows opal, not an appraiser of opal. In general, my opinion of most jewelry/objet d'art appraisers is not much higher than that of used car salesmen. Believe me, I've been around the that block on a high-dollar level. While there are good and honest ones many claim to know far more than they really do.
|
|
|
Post by stardiamond on Oct 30, 2020 18:47:15 GMT -5
I don't think any opal appraiser is qualified to assign a value to this piece. A person needs to know stone carvings and then decide how much the value needs to be adjusted because it was made from boulder opal. I really like boulder opal but gave up looking for it because of the cost of really good material. Cutting this up into smaller pieces would reduce it's value to near nothing. I was referring to an appraiser who knows opal, not an appraiser of opal. In general, my opinion of most jewelry/objet d'art appraisers is not much higher than that of used car salesmen. Believe me, I've been around the that block on a high-dollar level. While there are good and honest ones many claim to know far more than they really do. Where we disagree, is that I don't think opal matters for this piece.
|
|
hummingbirdstones2
fully equipped rock polisher
Vince A., 1958-2023
Member since August 2018
Posts: 1,461
|
Post by hummingbirdstones2 on Oct 30, 2020 20:20:24 GMT -5
The fact that it IS opal would add value in the eye of some buyers - others wouldn't care.
|
|
|
Post by 1dave on Jul 22, 2021 10:30:26 GMT -5
|
|