Epic failure opal cutting. I lose my $8k investment
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Join Justin this week to see the reality of cutting opal for a living as he loses money on his $8K opal investment.
We like to show the highs and lows of the opal industry to help you learn what to look for and what to be wary of when buying opal. This weeks rough had a lesson or two in mind for Justin!
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That opal was still absolutely gorgeous to me, black lines and all! sorry for the loss
I also loved the stark black lines! I would have it.
You seem to be able to live by my personal motto well: "You can be wet and miserable, or you can be wet. It's your choice." Thanks for the lesson.
Exactly my friend
Thanks for sharing your disappointment. Then working through the disappointment and coming out of it with grace and dignity. Such good life lessons. Cue the music of contemplation.
Absolutely!
Justin, EVERY time I watch your channel, I learn something new. This makes my last week of cutting opal and getting submarined much easier to take. Sorry you lost on this parcel, but with your education, you will make it back in the long run. I'm looking forward to getting enough opal rubbing under my belt to be able to tackle the parcel I purchased from you for my birthday gift to myself, probably later on this year if I continue to learn at my slow rate...
Glad to hear it! We all learn together Mike
I kind of liked those Potch lines they gave the stone an organic character.
You never know, one of these stones may end up being someone’s most beautiful, treasured, and sentimental gem they may ever own. It sucks making a loss, but I really feel inspired by how you made the best of a bad situation and pour love and care into the opals.
I feel your loss , but see your spirit. It's the Aussie way. Kevin from Beaconsfield Vic 🙃
Sorry for the bummer, but like you said that is the business you're in. That next parcel could have a batch of really nice gem opals to make up for it and then some. 🍺
Fingers crossed!
They look good
Ah the sweetness of defeat. All we can every do is learn from it. Sometimes you can apply the knowledge of a loss in this area to a gain in another area. At work I do this all the time. It's even funnier when your construction boss says "how did you know that would work?" And you reply with "I learned it working in fast food when I was a teen" 👀 what! Is usually the reply lol
Hahah
It's not great that you lost out, but it's big of you to show your loss so that others can learn from it xx
Thank you
Perhaps those educated about opals wouldn't buy one with those black inclusions, but I thought that they were beautiful hiding in the color. If I would have bought it perhaps someone with money might have. One never knows! Thank you for sharing your "failures" as well as your successes! You are right - we are defined by how we handle the twists and turns our life takes. Edited: I had a thought....there is a gem that was thought to be low quality and unsellable.......then they decided to call the brown dirty looking diamonds "chocolate" and now they are in demand. Perhaps we can rebrand the ones with spider lines.....
Absolutely!I always thought the same thing.The creative genius that thought of rebranding those stupid pieces of junk!
@@janiceslay6883 you mean diamonds in general? 100% of diamond's value is market manipulation and marketing by de Boers.
I had to struggle to keep a straight face when someone close to me proudly showed off her ‘chocolate’ diamond. Having a connection with petroleum drilling, I was quite familiar with these stones; they are used in drill bits.
This channel is currently doing the work of expanding the bottom end market. Existing only on the conventional gem market seemingly injects a false bottom end determined by jewelry dealers. People who wouldn't seek jewelry would still value some of the imperfect pieces as compelling purely aesthetically.
wow
Give me an opal any day over a diamond - I prefer dancing in the Aurora Borealis than frozen in ice!
Diamond is pretty and all but with the artificiality of pricing and the poor work practices in many mines, I have zero interest in owning diamond. Except antique. For engagement rings, I think they're a big con.
I hear you bro
Wonderfully said !
Diamond is my birthstone..... However, we have many stones/crystals that correlate with us, especially according to our astrological sign... One of my crystals is indeed opal!.... I agree with you!. I would rather have opal than A diamond!... It's surprising to find out how much of what is around us, that we pass everyday and don't realize...... A plant that you just walked by you should incorporate in your life according to your sign. I had no idea that my plant was the "fiddle plant?" Since I have found out that there are other things that one should surround themselves with according to their astrological sign etc. I started doing such.... Maybe because of power of suggestion?, But once I surrounded myself with these things such as plants, stones and crystals etc. It helped me in many ways..... Sorry for such a long reply to your awesome comment, but I love to share things that I myself have learned. BTW I have seen the Aurora Borealis while I was in Alaska, it truly is an amazing sight to see and witness its energy. May peace be upon you and yours.... Have a wonderful day!
Youl get neither your way to old
I would buy the stone with the character lines, as I too am not perfect. Yet it is beautiful to me.
WTF 😅😅😅
I am also drawn toward the "misfits" and unique opals. I like it too. :)
ya im actually shocked people don't buy it like that. I'd be more drawn to it personally like that as well
Most people don’t collect rough specimens, they want gems for jewelry
It’s beautiful as it is.
Justin, you could've advertised it as turquoise opal. I love how the black lines go through that stone and if I had the money I'd buy it. Something about it feels unique to me, ain't no opal gonna be able to mimic the black porch lines exactly the same way as those lines.
Either way, those are beautiful! 😊
i think those black lnes looked really cool, in a "look for the beauty in the imperfections" kind of way. Looked like the opal was venomized. venom opal!
You should do a giveaway of one of your failures :) I'm sure we'd all appreciate even a piece of sand with a tiny speck of bluegreen.
Are you kidding even his failures are worth big money, don't let him fool you
I could tell he actually was on the verge of tears, but he still had the good spirits to joke about it. What a great guy!
But Justin knows that there is no crying with opals, baseball, or fishing.
Believe me, if I had the money, I would buy the opal with the black lines! People always try to get the "perfect stone". I think some imperfections can add to the beauty.
For some people who cant afford a perfect Opal the little black spider lines would make one more affordable. The colors are beautiful
I'm waiting on my first parcel of stone to come in. You are a wealth of information and a paragon of being able to make difficult decisions based on your stone and not your own wants. Valuable lessons for life.
Kind words
That is why the whole world doesn't cut opals. You have great skills at saving the stones
Not a stretch to suggest that your words about perseverance and growing help many of your viewers for numerous reasons..
Thanks B.O.D ❤
It's my pleasure if they do :-)
Would be enlightening to see how these mishap cuts affect your margins. The business side of things is always interesting, but I realize you can't share details. But I would love to hear about general numbers of how much you should account for as bad cuts, etc. I lived in the diamond neighborhood of Antwerp and always wondered about the capital requirements for these small cutter businesses and how they function financially.
Yeah that something I would not discuss publicly
Wow, that color bar was super thick! I was wondering if you could've sliced the rough stone down the middle, right in between the 2 color patterns, and gotten 2 large stones out of it? Then you might've not run into that potch line issue I think
Slicing something when not totally sure is a bigger risk than not slicing
@@blackopaldirect Ahh ok, that makes sense! 8k is a big amount to gamble haha
Keep Calm and Carry On.....
Stiff upper lip and all of that....
NEXTTTT.....!!!!!!!!!!🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
now I understand how you lost your hair! 😉😁
Yep you got that right
How important it is that you show your failures as well as your successes
It is important but yes sand grrrrrrr!
Pray Justin unto Holy Spirit of ALL INFINITY for these lines to dissipate ensuring the beauty restores intact. Selah (pause, consider and then act, pray). Our lives are like these with black lines in our hearts and will and it’s only through prayer that these lines will disappear, be healed with Sovereign Eternal Restoration. Selah and then OMAIN (for ALL Creation can rejoice in this demonstration and subsequent healing)
Thanks for sharing. I saw the black lines emerging in the sides of the piece fairly early on, but I also had the advantage of reading the title. :) Good luck on the next one!
Thanks for sharing the good with the bad. It's heartening to know at your level of expertise that each opal really is unique and unpredictable.
So nice of you
You win some
You lose some
But you live YOU LIVE to fight another day!
Anybody know what movie? Anybody?
opal is the best investment. You are in full control of the outcome unlike stocks, poker, slots, blackjack, etc. With those typical casino games the rules are stacked up against you. Sure you can understand the game/rules to developed a technique to make some money, people get caught doing it all the time. However with opal you decide what piece to buy and hopefully with the right experience and knowledge/education/intelligence than you can always keep taking calculated risks. As the cutter you are in full control
Justin, looking back, what would you have done differently? What would the stones have been like?
Hmmm good question. I might try for the black side since the color was not as good as I expected
I'm so jealous of your profession, and location. You're such a lucky and fantastic man!
Hate to see it but its always good to show the loses along with the wins so it gives anyone that wants to have a go with opal to understand that its always a gamble and you don't always cut a black opal even when it looks to be a sure bet. Thanks for sharing your ups and downs! Aaron from Tx
Justin trying to predict what an uncut Opel will be , is like trying to predicting the out come of an election !
I really wish I could pick up an apprenticeship with you justin. It be awsome having you as my Yoda. Youd be an awsome guy to learn from
Foreboding music there Justin....nail biting!!
Incredible! I am not a professional but this stone is very beautiful for my esthetic feeling. I would even prefer it to a stone with no black lines.
What I love about your work is the dedication, and perfection you put into each and every piece. On this particular occasion you may have not got the return you were hoping for, but the next time could be even better. You are a inspiration to aspiring opal enthusiasts and your Dad would be so proud of you. Thank you 🦋
oh man i forgot about this channel!! chile lemme subscribe and turn on notifs again
I hesitate to ask for 'more like this', but to a beginner, this is really valuable info. Thanks BOD!
lol I will try my best to not get this outcome 😂
Could you have cut the opal in half and maybe go for two stones?
Wow, from your title I thought the whole thing might have been eaten by sand or nothing but potch inside! Disappointing on the total value, but not as big a disaster as I was expecting. Given the number of times you have a stone you don't think is going to work out, but cuts something amazing, I think it more than evens out.
True that. Thanks for watching
Miners must love you paying that much for rough 😬
Have to say, ever since YT suggested this channel, I have been enjoying catching up on all these videos. I have seen many of your success videos where you create some beautiful gems. This video shows a different perspective where things dont go as planned. Even though you lost money, you demonstrated the ability to make the tough choice of cutting your losses. Once you did that, you switched to a defensive mode where you sought to find the best pieces that you could. This is what life is about. Making something good out of the chaos. Thanks for sharing your failures as well as your successes. Love the videos and you have made me a fan of opals!
Justin , sir you gave some awesome advice about life and how we react to things in life makes how we define our life ! Hope that the next Opal will be totally mind blowing beautiful ! Take care , stay safe and healthy with whatever you and the crew maybe doing next ! Doing well here in Kansas .
Might be safer than the stock market!
for someone with knowledge yes but not for someone without
You will be ok Justin..... Years of counseling, therapy..... at least you dont have gems spinning loose and flying off of the dop stick across the room, ricochet from all four walls! Thanks for letting us know that even the highly skilled has their days.
Hahaha ill be ok I think
Well I think it turned out better than the one stone out of 30k parcel.
The next opal can be a superstar Justin, they are still really bonnie stones that you cut and polished. Opal is amazing perfect or not so perfect no other gemstone is it’s equal. Quoting the words of Robert the Bruce If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again.
exactly my friend
dont worry about that fail Justin,keep cutting and you will get there one day :):) just kidding. you are the best opal cutter out there!
no You're the best! ❤️
I thought you would slice it right away. Hugs
It's really interesting to see the "failures" (even if they are stunning!) as well as the unreserved successes.
We could all tell how worried you were with this piece simply by how quiet and focussed on the work you were, as opposed to your more jubilant self when a stone is nice and easy and you can almost do it on auto-pilot while giving a running commentary.
A shame, but as you know better then anyone gemcutting is risky business, and sooner or later you will have a setback or 3. Thank you for sharing with us, the bad and the good. It's all both educational and entertaining. Keep it up please!
very kind words thank you
Oh my...I don't know if I can bear this....but I can't not watch..🤭🤭🤭 Justin, you've made opal addicts of us all! 💖🌈🌈🌈
lol you can watch its not that painful
@@blackopaldirect They were still absolutely lovely!! 💖🌈 And yet again it was a got dang privilege to watch you work! Thank u Justin! I'm now completely obsessed with opal!
The only thing I can possibly say is "BUGGER"!
LOL
"Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose and sometime the blues get ahold of you
aahhh just when, you thought you had made it."
Still got some gorgeous stones out of that, given that you've had some really good stones lately, I'm sure it covers the loss and then some. It sucks to lose, but you seem to win just as often. Have fun, and better luck next time.
Lol I love watching this channel.. I don’t even collect or cut stones.
My mission is now complete then 🙏❤️
Justin, it isn't you...it's the stone...uh, really...seriously. Okay, who are we going to blame? I love watching even when things go bad. Cheers, mate! Ya know...sometime we dance when we are happy but we can do a slower dance when down.
Hahaha its al good
it was faulty machine bro.
Um like aqui do Brasil valeu.
Justin , you can make an alien turd shine so keep smiling Buddy 👽
lol thanks
Always we need to walk humbly
Its e beautyful stoon. A love it ❤️🙋♀️🇧🇪from België Patricia
It sucks to lose money but that's the nature of the game. From watching all these RUclips videos it seems that working with gemstones requires a bit of a gamble. The Jackpot wouldn't feel nearly as good if you got it every time.
Well at least it wasn't a total loss
@ Black Opal.... Thank you for your knowledge. Your video. Here's a trade... "In life, there is neither anything gain nor anything loss... " A teaching of everyone whom have existed.....
Maybe I'm just weird but I like the imperfect, flawed and unique stones - gems over the perfect ones. Don't get me wrong they're all beautiful . I'm kinda different like that. I love watching you make beautiful gems.
It's funny you bring up poker. In GTO (Gaming Theory Optimum) the goal is to play the best game possible at all times. Now the funny thing is, in GTO you calculated to get stacked (go all-in and lose) every 200-300 hands. The theory being that the smart gambles you make in between give a higher net gain that the loss.
It's just marketing. Call it Tiger scratches. :) A bit like the Monster Energy Drink Logo...
Honestly, you can't take a tour of even a glass company without an offering of seconds or products that failed QC standards...I thought THAT opal was as unique as any I've seen! I would imagine there would be a number of people that would pay for those partials you reject. I know I would. Without imperfection, perfection would have no value...and neither is more rare than the other, only subjectively preferred.
First
"Nobody buys opal with potch marks" uhhh...I WOULD IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
Hey Justin can you explain what turning black means.
AN opal when cutting them can go from a white body tone opal to a darker or black opal. The black opal is worth so much more because it is rare.
@@blackopaldirect Cheers.
Those stones are very nice to me. Sorry you lost $$$ in the process. But, that's part of the process, right? :)
I once bought a giant nobby, hoping it would be mostly solid opal. The stone before cutting weighed 2400 carats.
I ended up cutting about 10 carats of polishable stone, with the least valuable colors and patterns.
Learning, meditation, perseverance, and patience. all these things are virtues I could be a lot stronger with. Cutting opals definitely helps accelerate the acquisition of incremental strengthening of these values.
Bought a small Blue Opal yesterday after watching your videos. Waiting for it to arrive. Seller says it’s from Australia? 🤞
Really enjoying your channel! Thanks 👍
Myself, I would have polished off the sandy bits and left all the rest. I like the look of potch going into opal. I know it's not what an expert would do but I'm too chicken to try my actual hand at it.
Just saw the lines - YES! I would have totally bought it with the lines!
Then I would have bragged to all my friends about my "Tiger Opal"
Justin, how many times have you had stones that you were expecting far less from than you got? I’ve been watching for a while now and you’ve had some great days. I’m amazed at the beauty of these!
Yes there has been some outrageous wins over time and some catastrophic losses too. The wins make me forget the losses lol
Really how can people not like that? The potch makes the stone looks like it has an awesome Tiger Strip pattern! Sometimes it's the flaws and inclusions that make the stone special.
As long as the winners out weigh the loses you are still doing ok, As you said the trials make us stronger.
Sorry about the bad luck bro, and sometimes it's just that, luck. Even with all the knowledge and skill you bring to the game, sometimes luck gets in the way. I know you will recoup and I look forward to seeing it.
14:14 I'm just realizing my quality was set to 480p when you recorded it such high quality...such a waste on my end, im restarting the video now! Did you get a new camera?!
Oh no Justin, it did look a great looking opal. Just goes to show that you never know until you work on it.
Good you could cut some nice gems from it.
Thanks Tony
Oh no! I'm sorry, Justin. I was thinking cross-cutting, just looking at it from here, but sometimes things just aren't meant to be.
Opal cutting and Life lessons in 21 minutes. If you don't have x-ray vision, how can you tell, unless there was already bad stones that came from that field.
You have won far more than you have lost in the opal game. Thanks for the journey!
🙏🙏🙏❤️
The day i decide cutting my 2 nobbies i will send them to you about 240 carats,off subject sorry once again a nice informative video as u say sometimes things don't work out as expected nice opal colour though.
Have a nice day.
Justin, I’ve watched nearly all your videos. I’m in the USA. What day(s) & time(s) are you live? I simply love watching you
Was there a story to the blue marble in the basket?
Haha I polished it round from something to do and to see how round I could get it by hand
When I started lapidary work I would throw a fit when something like that happened. Now I tend to take it in stride because I can't see inside of rocks. You are going to get your money back, be happy.
Your skills rescued this Gem, and l must congratulate you for your determination. Regards, RobinRobinson.
❤
Justin, I have learned something about cutting opal from you and for that, I am very thankful. Sometimes you are not pleased because a piece of opal has occlusions of sand or misplaced poch or very small parts of a stone have been opal-ized. It breaks my heart to hear the heart-rending laments that rise from the depths of your soul and transfer the pain from your heart to mine. I believe that you need to learn to speak harshly to such a corrupted bit of stone. I suspect that this will be a difficult thing for you to do because you are such a kind-hearted bloke. Also, when you have a well structured and compliant stone that heeds your verbal blandishments and becomes a gem that causes your heart to swell with joy, you can balance the harshness of earlier expressions with authentic and real thanks, contentedness, and praise. Opal is a complex gem stone that needs to be nurtured to give its best. May the opals you cut come to recognize what an incredible opal whisperer you are and stimulate you to years of opal dance.
Ok, big 😔 but how about a giveaway? This would be a treasured memory for someone. That’s such a lot of $ for you to lose. You took it very well. Ouch.
3 racks really isnt that much man. there are way stupider ways you could've lost 3 grand. it happens. keep your chin up and keep cuttin opals!! stay ballin brother!
Hello,
I was wondering if you could sometime soon make a black Opal Skulptur? Sorry for the loss. I would still by it because you cut it so nice!
those black lines inside looked awesome 2 me actually😮....if opal and marble could crossbreed it would look like this😂 amazing
Hi I jus wanted to say I love your channel and the messages that you convey. I had a question, me and my wife want opal in our rings for our wedding, so what is the cost of crushed black opal for my ring or how do I know of it is truly crushed opal. And for my girls ring is it better to buy an already made opal ring or find a stone I like and then have a ring made. Thank you
I’ve had two seasons of learning. Made new plan and had good season, worked my tail off and struggling to get paid for completed work. It creates such stress and turmoil. If it was Wild West I’d go handle it.
When you stumble, do you fall flat on your face or try to catch yourself? Who knows? Maybe you perform a dodge roll at times and end up farther than you would've otherwise.