Opal Cutting Process - FINAL UPDATE 03/18/21

True, but when you're trying to sell them, it makes perfect sense.  Even though it's against all of your instincts to try to make the largest cab you can from the material you have, it's important to be critical of how the stone actually presents and to make it as aesthetically and artistically pleasing as possible.  Sometimes that means taking some more material off because the shape looks a little "off" or maybe there's a flaw in the stone that really detracts the eye and it needs to be removed to make a nice cab into a stunning cab.

We always try to make the largest stone out of a piece of opal rough as we can.  After all, opal rough is not inexpensive and you want to make as much of your investment back as possible as well as (hopefully) a profit someday.  Opal is rarely a stone that is straightforward to cut, though.  Lots of time is spent studying it before even starting to cut an opal to figure out the how to cut it to get the best performance out of the color it has and the most weight retention.

stephan - Thank you. I must confess that what appears to be patience was born wholly from being too stubborn to quit when I realized my early efforts resembled poorly shaped lozenges more than anything else. The look on my goldsmith friend's face when I showed him some of the first ones said it all. I had lots of work to do... .

Your earlier post in this thread reminded me of the "Then and Now" thread you created to help new cutters, so I posted an old one I found photos of there.

forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/93184/rthlings-show-progress?page=2&scrollTo=1142060

Now, to address the annoyance my darling wife expressed about "calibrated" shapes, this one was - before the recut. I didn't know it (didn't use a template) at the time, but even after the recut the curves on the sides and ends still fit those on the template. It's just smaller now, so it would need a custom casting. It took a long time to get those curves and proportions burned into my brain, and it only happened because I was embarrassed after my friend's reaction to the first few.

rockjunquie - This opal isn't as bright as it could be. The opal isn't pure consistent black, though it faces up well. The percentage of the face showing color when held at a normal viewing angle and distance could be better. The color/colorplay are typical (as compared to opaque bars) of crystal opal, though, so that's "okay". Preliminary evaluation says this is a "four-figure" stone. If the attributes noted were top of their ranges it would probably hit the five-figure mark. I'm still happy... .

Thanks, Tela.

opalpyrexia - Yeah, dig out that black and have some fun! Then I won't be the only one with indigestion.

Since I'm cowardly, I usually try to find a corner or end I could round down to see how the color comes up from underneath. That way I can still reshape the stone a little without losing too much if it doesn't work out.

You should do a "before" photo of it and go for it...!

Heh-heh-heh - I've been an "instigator" all my life. I really do hope that recut is something that ends up being lots of fun for you.

Happy New Year!!!

Thanks, Bill.

This one is actually from Lightning Ridge. It sat in a jar for 11-12 years just because of what you said about the way it looked on the outside.

Robin and I decided to cut some opal, so we dumped the jar in a black plastic tray and sorted through it. This one had one little "window" chipped off the end that showed a bit of color on the end the stone came from. Other than that, it just had some generalized light blue "glow" here and there.

You're right about the difficulties of cutting it. Learning to read the rough - and then just take your best guess - is the toughest part.

Thanks. Even though they were small, inclusions visible in the face of an opal had to go.

There is still an surface inclusion on the lower part of one side, but it would be covered when set.