Cutting a 468ct Specimen Grade Ethiopian Opal for my Client

Simply put, Specimen grade ethiopian opals are mean to be just that: A specimen. You look at it. You have to keep it in water at all times if you want it to remain free of any cracks or crazing.
In this video, I am cutting and polishing an opal for a client who sent me their stone after it cracked due to being left to dry out.
We started with a 468 carat chunk and after removing all of the host material and previous cracks were left with a piece of opal weighing 164 carats.
Even though this stone was going to be kept in water, I polished all the way to 3000 grit per their request.

[@anthonymcclain6475]

Nova points and a dremel is what i use after i get the shape...but i dont have a cabbing machine either 😂 but i love it . Great job!

[@earthartgems]

Thanks! I agree, if I had some good experience with flex-shaft carving, I probably could have saved a lot more weight, but I do not, so this was the best I could do. I've got a piece of fire agate I am going to try out next...

[@Kerrsartisticgifts]

I have three of those big specimens and I would love to see what a cutter could do with them. Only one had the rock matrix attached and none had any inside. I dried them out and only that one with the rock cracked. I have a dremmel that I had never used before and I have been trying to get that one cleaned of the stone, but I don't have the proper tips for the dremmel to really do that. I can't help noticing that almost all of the play of colour has gone from that one, as you noted could happen.
I'm wondering now, if I could smoke it and bring the colours back out? If I knew someone that would cut my stones, I would love to get them shaped and polished, I think they're all about 350 carats

[@Rathurue]

The fire is gone...