Wow! I will never in my life behold a beauty like this in person. Thank you so much for sharing it and the process necessary to bring it to it's full potential. Exceptional piece and craftmanship.
I'm excited to watch this ,,have recently lost my Mama so have be really depressed and very sad but today thought let me see if you have been busy cutting beautiful stones again and here you are doing your amazing work ❤ Angie in Scotland
I am a gemcutter in Pakistan, and I have a quartz order of hundreds of quartz pieces. I always cut such big quartz into a single cut, which is specified by the customer, and the cut is Cleopatra's eye. It takes a very long time to cut a single stone to the Cleopatra eye cut because I use a handpiece faceting machine, which is not of good quality. I have to use my common sense to make the facets equal in size and aligned to each other. There are a few cutters in the market who can cut Cleopatra's eye, or they have already done it once. The problem is here in the market; the handpiece machine is a trend, and they don't know about the mast machines and their capabilities. Even the professor at the institute says that both mast and handpiece machines are the same; the only difference they have in mind is production. They say with a handpiece, you can make more stones in less time. They don't consider precision or perfection. I have been watching your videos for a long time, and you always cut with the mast machine. I have confusion in my mind: with a handpiece, you will always have girdle misalignment problems, which you will face in each stone, probably. But according to my research, the mast machines are more precise and capable of cutting designs which have facets over thousands. Now, please tell me, do the stones have problems with the girdle? You might know this better than me, but I have a trick for you that will help you minimize your cutting time. As I have experienced already, you can perform such big pieces with a 46 mesh wheel and then use an 80 grit disc, then 180, and then 1200, etc.
After this comment and the creator ignoring your legitimate question I will not be subscribing or recommending it. I think if they think there too good to answer detailed and obviously spent a lot of time writing it then they deserve no subscribers.
My toxic trait is having this pop up on my suggestions, watching one video, and thinking I could pick this up as an ADHD hobby because it’s fascinating 😅
Been there, done that. Being on the spectrum did that to me. I thought I would give it a try... did extremely well on my first attempt and now I'm still doing it and eventually will turn this skill into a source of income and not just satisfaction/ a sense of accomplishment.
You can cut some of these and leave them dry without them crazing. The ones i have done are cut with an all dry process. I usually use sand paper. As soon as you sand them wet they seem to crack on the surface shortly after. You just need to make sure and wear a mask so you dont breathe the dust. Good luck!
I’ve been to dig for sherry topaz at topaz mountain in Utah, it’s really something to see these minerals come out of their native environment. The sherry topaz is colored by minute amounts of radiation, when exposed to sunlight it knocks the color back out and the crystals go clear. Biggest crystal (clear one, unfortunately ) I found was when once I drove in to the area, opened my car door and looked down..the crystal was just sitting right where I would’ve put my foot down! Crystals get washed down from the higher elevations in the horseshoe shaped canyon. You can take hammers, sledge, and like an 8 foot steel pry bar to open up the rather soft clefts and expose cavities where the pockets of crystals are..I found some pseudobrookite too, it looks like spicules, or a sea urchin. Bixbyite is there too..
Amazing Steve , well done, sometimes when I eat instead of watching a movie I watch your clips ! :) - hope you're well , kind regards Alex from Romania
Typically I don't care for faceting opals, to me they have so much intrinsic beauty that the facets are distracting. In this case, however, it turned out stunningly gorgeous. Well done, sir, well done.❣💯👍
That may work, right now we display immersed in a water globe for display. Doesn't show the brilliance, but can still see the play of color. Haven't tested a humidor, but if anyone does and it works out for a long period, let me know.
@@lazerman121 haha unfortunately no. We bought this piece of rough from him around that time, too. That said, it didn’t craze until about 7-8 months later. So it did last a while, but ultimately it did end up crazing. We assume this would have the same fate if it is left out for too long.
@@alko2124 you’re in luck, we have a couple of specimens available on our website here: www.mineralmike.com/products/1390ct-amazing-brightly-colored-crystal-opal-from-ethiopia
@Moregems my God... that was a huge stone... such a good deal on it too... do they have to store in water though? Even if you cut them do they still crack outside water? EDIT NEVER MIND YOU ANSWERED ME AT THE END LOL
Hi Steve. When setting your stone in the Jig, I'm curious if that is Dental Wax you used to support the stone on the jig ? The finished gem is absolutely beautiful. Well done friend.
I heard someone say you did not need to keep Ethiopian opal wet? I have a Mexican opal pendant that did crack on me was so mad. But I also got an Ethiopian opal pendant that the stone turned opac on me. Was mad about that also. One of my favorite stones.
@@patriciacamara2804 this is a different type of Ethiopian Opal. The Hydrophane opal from Ethiopia doesn’t need to be stored wet and should actually be kept away from any water or oils as it will absorb into the opal which can make them go transparent. Water will not harm these opals as it will dry out, but any heavy oils can ruin them.
What is the price difference like for a stone like this that cant really be set into jewelry before and after cutting? I know its beautiful both ways, but is it worth the overall effort to cut and polish it?
Beautifull cut, but I will strongly advise not to engage with this kind of Ethiopian opals :( They came to Europe about 6 years ago. I bought couple pieces just from curiosity (were allready cracked/crazed a little.). You know that temptation - enormous size with a low price ;) They feel more like volcanic glass (i.e. obsidian) when touched. They're a little harder than traditional Welo opals and they are not hydrophanes. I kept them rough with my other rough whelo opals during that time (6 years). Last week I checked them out. Every piece is cracked like crazy :( The whole pieces looks like a broken car window :( And my traditional Welo? Still intact. Not even slightest scratch or crack. Thank's for another helpfull video Mr. Moriarty :) All the best :)
Hello sir, I'm a common man with an interest in gemstones. I've been watching your videos for a long time. I have a suggestion for stones this size: as They need to be kept wet all the time, or they'll crack. it would be better to carve such stones into some auspicious creatures, like dragons or turtles in this case... Throughout the globe, in many cultures they consider them as auspicious creatures. Carving this stone in turtle form would hv been much better...keeping the turtle in shallow water in a bowl is considered to be very auspicious....
So according to OpalAuctions: "With Welo I find from experience that the rough must be cut to at least 3000 diamond grit (if you use diamond) to seal the surface so it expands and contracts in a uniform manner, if you cut part of the way and leave it dryfor an hour or two, it is likely to be fractured when you return. " Do you think this could help with the crazing?
Nope. Opal is honest and will crack if it is not stable, sooner or later. Even the best Australian material should be left in the unconditioned air for up to a year to see if its healthy or not. At least around here.
I know it has to stay wet to keep its beauty or it will tar ish and go clowdy and not clear. But why couldnt you get some type of glass blown clear pendant filled with some type of alcohol or perservative liquid that will keep it looking beautiful and can also be used to make many different pieces of jewlrry and be worn. Mainly necklaces with it inside a nice glass blown littel vessel with sone type of clear liquid that wont ever go clowdy and grow. Bacteria in the liquid and keep the opel poeces looking beautiful. I just atarted learning the art form and craft of being a jewler. I been doing it now for the last 6 months and made and sold my first piece of jewelry a week ago. It took me three weeks working on it during my linch hour and breaks at work as a apprentice jewler at a high end hand made jewlery shop here in town that has been open for the last 122 years and owned by the same family. I been saving all the gold fillings and gold dust from all the filling and sanding and grinding i have done for the jewler that is training me with his permission and the permission of the owner to collect and hold into the gold dust and fillings then when i had enough saved up of 24k gold only i melted it down and oresed it out snd lulled it out to make a long strand of 24k gold wires and made a beautiful cuban chain link necklace and after i finished it they out it in the cabinet for sale and it fidnt have a proce but instead make offer silent auction highest bid wins and hand made by our apprentice. And it ended up selling for 15k dollars and i had a few diamonds around the pendant and the pendant was jusst a number 7 with lucky going acceoss it. Im usually not into gang banging type jewlery that rappers would wear but the main customer base of ours is very extremely rich white ppl mainly women and extremely wealthy black males who have a great job of just really good credit and opened up 5 different lines of credit to be able to afford a 15-60k dollar liece of jewelry
Putting an opal like this into a 'Snow Globe' in water might be a semi-permanent way to display it and show it to other people. (maybe with some glitter?)
Its definitely not non-hydrophane opal, the other one cracked because the moisture was releasing too fast from the opal, also it goes transparent because it has absorbed moisture, science explains all this stuff better then me.
To be clear, you can't play with these for 'hours' as Steve said. I would say 10 minutes maximum, then back in water. If it is just in a 'humid' storage, then even less. But the humidity should stay above 75% at least.
Carving it into a rose-cut tortoise shell, or maybe a sugar loaf cabochon for the same "tortoise shell" type of object d'art. Where a bronze under-structure or "base" could be cast to hold the opal..... So the flippers and head would be bronze, and the flat backing the opal is on top of, could be black enamel to help the colors pop as the entire creature sits somewhere inside an aquarium. Because that way it'll always be in a wet environment. That could be fun.
But why did he it can never be jewelry?!!!? Why not because it needs moisture! I had so many pieces of this type and know has ever said keep it wet and charged me regular opal in gold ring price I’m broken heart 💔 to the core and so many broke and because of that it was my fault and never got a refund and I learn today they were liars to me ❤ thank you Opals is my birthstone
@@tishsmiddy71 Opals are formed in sea beds and other bodies of salt water that is rich in silica. If the material is the hydrophane Ethiopian opal, it's likely to "craze" or "crack" all over the outside of the gem. Because the water that's permiated the crystal structure and what makes it look transparent is drying out. Think of it like Jello in a pan. If you leave it on the counter long enough the water will evaporate and the gelatin will shrink and form cracks. Which will cause it to dry up even faster. Thats kinda whats happening with these types of opals. A lot of turquoise has to be stabilized so it can be set in jewelry.
@tishsmiddy71 You should try to find jewellery items made with Australian opal. That way you know that it won't crack on you. Australian opal doesn't need to be kept in water. As like Ng as you take care of it, it'll last a lifetime. My mum's opal ring was made for her 21st birthday, back in 1973. It's still as beautiful as the day she received it, and the ring has actually outlasted my mum. ( She passed in 2011 from cancer - may she RIP).
Me desculpe a sinceridade mas existem exemplares de minerais e mineralóides encontrados na natureza que não precisavam ser lapidados pela sua beleza natural👍💎
its a beautiful stone but I struggle to understand why anyone would facet opal. To me, it is sacrilege. But, you do what you want with your stones. great video.
@@crissi6220 Nope, properly transparent opal with play of color transforms into the Arkenstone when faceted, much better than it could have been cabbed.
@@chir0pter Sorry, never heard of a mineral called "arkenstone"... And an opal is beautiful as it is, I don't see the necessity for it to "look like" something else. However "de gustibus non est disputandum"... 🤷🏼♀️
@@crissi6220 Lol 😂 you need media literacy 😂 Look up Arkenstone Transparent opal with limited play of color is vastly improved by faceting as opposed to a cab
Its is pretty but without being able to make it into an art piece or Jewelry it might as well be an aquarium ornament. Thats why I dont buy Ethiopian opals they tend to crack and most collectors think of them as 2nd rate gems. I will stick to Solid high domed cabs. from lightning ridge Austraila any day of the week.
Wow! I will never in my life behold a beauty like this in person. Thank you so much for sharing it and the process necessary to bring it to it's full potential.
Exceptional piece and craftmanship.
Awesome, thank you, Steve, for sharing. What a beautiful gem.
I'm excited to watch this ,,have recently lost my Mama so have be really depressed and very sad but today thought let me see if you have been busy cutting beautiful stones again and here you are doing your amazing work ❤ Angie in Scotland
It’s truly amazing what is being accomplished right before my eyes Thank you ☺️
I am a gemcutter in Pakistan, and I have a quartz order of hundreds of quartz pieces. I always cut such big quartz into a single cut, which is specified by the customer, and the cut is Cleopatra's eye. It takes a very long time to cut a single stone to the Cleopatra eye cut because I use a handpiece faceting machine, which is not of good quality. I have to use my common sense to make the facets equal in size and aligned to each other. There are a few cutters in the market who can cut Cleopatra's eye, or they have already done it once. The problem is here in the market; the handpiece machine is a trend, and they don't know about the mast machines and their capabilities. Even the professor at the institute says that both mast and handpiece machines are the same; the only difference they have in mind is production. They say with a handpiece, you can make more stones in less time. They don't consider precision or perfection.
I have been watching your videos for a long time, and you always cut with the mast machine. I have confusion in my mind: with a handpiece, you will always have girdle misalignment problems, which you will face in each stone, probably. But according to my research, the mast machines are more precise and capable of cutting designs which have facets over thousands. Now, please tell me, do the stones have problems with the girdle?
You might know this better than me, but I have a trick for you that will help you minimize your cutting time. As I have experienced already, you can perform such big pieces with a 46 mesh wheel and then use an 80 grit disc, then 180, and then 1200, etc.
After this comment and the creator ignoring your legitimate question I will not be subscribing or recommending it. I think if they think there too good to answer detailed and obviously spent a lot of time writing it then they deserve no subscribers.
@@phase3ute I was the first viewer of the video and I was the first commenter.
@@fionahonohan2757 He probably doesn't read comments.
@@phase3utebye Karen, bye…
@@avadromanakimaserativaljar6412 He Does and he may even reply.
My toxic trait is having this pop up on my suggestions, watching one video, and thinking I could pick this up as an ADHD hobby because it’s fascinating 😅
Been there, done that. Being on the spectrum did that to me. I thought I would give it a try... did extremely well on my first attempt and now I'm still doing it and eventually will turn this skill into a source of income and not just satisfaction/ a sense of accomplishment.
I just came here to say, wow. That things is really pretty
You were saying non-hydrophane, but sounds like you mean it is hydrophane
This is not hydrophane material, it does not absorb water like the hydrophane opal from Ethiopia.
You can cut some of these and leave them dry without them crazing. The ones i have done are cut with an all dry process. I usually use sand paper. As soon as you sand them wet they seem to crack on the surface shortly after. You just need to make sure and wear a mask so you dont breathe the dust. Good luck!
Wow! Nice work steve!! 👌
what if you coat stones like this in a thin epoxy layer? maybe that will preserve the shine?
Thank you sirrr❤
Obrigada por compartilhar um trabalho tão lindo. Parabéns!
I love your videos. You are a true artist. ❤
I personally think the cracked opal is absolutely beautiful in that state.
I’ve been to dig for sherry topaz at topaz mountain in Utah, it’s really something to see these minerals come out of their native environment. The sherry topaz is colored by minute amounts of radiation, when exposed to sunlight it knocks the color back out and the crystals go clear. Biggest crystal (clear one, unfortunately ) I found was when once I drove in to the area, opened my car door and looked down..the crystal was just sitting right where I would’ve put my foot down! Crystals get washed down from the higher elevations in the horseshoe shaped canyon. You can take hammers, sledge, and like an 8 foot steel pry bar to open up the rather soft clefts and expose cavities where the pockets of crystals are..I found some pseudobrookite too, it looks like spicules, or a sea urchin. Bixbyite is there too..
That looks like what I imagine the arkenstone to look.
Geez! Thats a WINNER!❤️
Una belleza!! Buen trabajo.
can you anneal that stuff ?
Amazing Steve , well done, sometimes when I eat instead of watching a movie I watch your clips ! :) - hope you're well , kind regards Alex from Romania
Typically I don't care for faceting opals, to me they have so much intrinsic beauty that the facets are distracting. In this case, however, it turned out stunningly gorgeous. Well done, sir, well done.❣💯👍
Could you store it in a humidor? I'm familiar with opal just not the Ethiopian type. This was perfect for a peice this size, those colors are amazing
That may work, right now we display immersed in a water globe for display. Doesn't show the brilliance, but can still see the play of color. Haven't tested a humidor, but if anyone does and it works out for a long period, let me know.
Did the last one yall cut that the supplier Guaranteed would not craze stay stable?
@@lazerman121 haha unfortunately no. We bought this piece of rough from him around that time, too. That said, it didn’t craze until about 7-8 months later. So it did last a while, but ultimately it did end up crazing. We assume this would have the same fate if it is left out for too long.
@@Moregems OUCH Got any pics of the crazing? Is it possible to stabilize these with epoxy?
@@Moregems It sounds like it could be set as a piece of jewelry as long as the entire piece is stored under water!
Enjoyed your video, is it possible to attach a blade to a Soldering Iron instead of heating the blade over a flame?
@@uWu_Murasaki_Uwu I suppose but the razor knife is more maneuverable
I'd loved to buy it before faceting. It rough beauty suited it very well.
@@alko2124 you’re in luck, we have a couple of specimens available on our website here: www.mineralmike.com/products/1390ct-amazing-brightly-colored-crystal-opal-from-ethiopia
@Moregems my God... that was a huge stone... such a good deal on it too... do they have to store in water though? Even if you cut them do they still crack outside water? EDIT NEVER MIND YOU ANSWERED ME AT THE END LOL
WOWWWW!!!!! I LOVE IT
❤OMG it's beautiful 😍
Beautiful stunning crystal opal nice rough. Faceted stone has kalidescope of colors.
29:42 what you tell the miss when the rodeo is coming to town
Where can I get a 194ct pink sapphire cut right??
Bought me a 24 carat Black opal today . Came straight from the aussie miners
Hi Steve. When setting your stone in the Jig, I'm curious if that is Dental Wax you used to support the stone on the jig ?
The finished gem is absolutely beautiful. Well done friend.
You could try incasing the final stone in resin to see if that stops it fracturing although I think it looks cool like that
I heard someone say you did not need to keep Ethiopian opal wet? I have a Mexican opal pendant that did crack on me was so mad. But I also got an Ethiopian opal pendant that the stone turned opac on me. Was mad about that also. One of my favorite stones.
@@patriciacamara2804 this is a different type of Ethiopian Opal. The Hydrophane opal from Ethiopia doesn’t need to be stored wet and should actually be kept away from any water or oils as it will absorb into the opal which can make them go transparent. Water will not harm these opals as it will dry out, but any heavy oils can ruin them.
Not to take away from your amazing craftsmanship. I would have kept it as is in like one of those little waterfalls to keep it wet.
@@The_FantasyForge There are mineral collectors and there are faceters. We get our visual pleasures in different forms.
I personally lit bit sad ! been doing jewelry business more than 30 plus years ! New generation isn’t into gem stone anymore and elders are dying…. 😅
Faceted // Fascinating
What is the price difference like for a stone like this that cant really be set into jewelry before and after cutting? I know its beautiful both ways, but is it worth the overall effort to cut and polish it?
doesnt hydrophane mean it has to stay moist because it absorbs water? If this was non hydrophane that would mean its stable outside of water
Hydroplane means it has less water content and therefore will absorb water.
When cutting that type of stone, you lose that much in the process? 600+ct down to 198ct? That's a lot of scrap.
Beautifull cut, but I will strongly advise not to engage with this kind of Ethiopian opals :( They came to Europe about 6 years ago. I bought couple pieces just from curiosity (were allready cracked/crazed a little.). You know that temptation - enormous size with a low price ;)
They feel more like volcanic glass (i.e. obsidian) when touched. They're a little harder than traditional Welo opals and they are not hydrophanes. I kept them rough with my other rough whelo opals during that time (6 years). Last week I checked them out. Every piece is cracked like crazy :( The whole pieces looks like a broken car window :( And my traditional Welo? Still intact. Not even slightest scratch or crack.
Thank's for another helpfull video Mr. Moriarty :) All the best :)
Beautiful🎉❤
Much respect for your work, though I think I prefer these stones in their natural, organic forms!
I don't know....I kind of liked the beautiful uncut stone.
Hello sir, I'm a common man with an interest in gemstones. I've been watching your videos for a long time. I have a suggestion for stones this size: as They need to be kept wet all the time, or they'll crack. it would be better to carve such stones into some auspicious creatures, like dragons or turtles in this case... Throughout the globe, in many cultures they consider them as auspicious creatures. Carving this stone in turtle form would hv been much better...keeping the turtle in shallow water in a bowl is considered to be very auspicious....
Awesome
You could always stabilise the opal soak in resin cure then its done , Pulitzer opal can show you
@@calvinwilliams7541 I'm willing to bet Steve has far more knowledge in Lapidary than Pulitzer opal does.
Brilliant just brilliant Sir 💯👌💯💎💯
- Thank you for sharing!!
Btw, Is the hardness the same in Welo Opals as in, for example, Australian opals?
no
@@ashyslashy5818 to be fair, though it is softer than most Australian, even Australian opals vary in hardness.
@@ashyslashy5818 what? Tougher in the drop test
What happens if it's not kept wet?
Itll crack and ruin itself
How much?
So according to OpalAuctions: "With Welo I find from experience that the rough must be cut to at least 3000 diamond grit (if you use diamond) to seal the surface so it expands and contracts in a uniform manner, if you cut part of the way and leave it dryfor an hour or two, it is likely to be fractured when you return. "
Do you think this could help with the crazing?
Nope. Opal is honest and will crack if it is not stable, sooner or later. Even the best Australian material should be left in the unconditioned air for up to a year to see if its healthy or not. At least around here.
@@ResortDogLol way to skirt the question
I wonder, If you can set this stone, then Back the clearer stone with like `Opal dust` or something that would then refract more colour from the back
might be a dumb question that has been answered before, Can it be treated by vacuum epoxy sealing?
@@maddmatter2003 I don’t think epoxy will enter the opal. Something thinner maybe but I don’t know of any success with filling.
I know it has to stay wet to keep its beauty or it will tar ish and go clowdy and not clear. But why couldnt you get some type of glass blown clear pendant filled with some type of alcohol or perservative liquid that will keep it looking beautiful and can also be used to make many different pieces of jewlrry and be worn. Mainly necklaces with it inside a nice glass blown littel vessel with sone type of clear liquid that wont ever go clowdy and grow. Bacteria in the liquid and keep the opel poeces looking beautiful. I just atarted learning the art form and craft of being a jewler. I been doing it now for the last 6 months and made and sold my first piece of jewelry a week ago. It took me three weeks working on it during my linch hour and breaks at work as a apprentice jewler at a high end hand made jewlery shop here in town that has been open for the last 122 years and owned by the same family. I been saving all the gold fillings and gold dust from all the filling and sanding and grinding i have done for the jewler that is training me with his permission and the permission of the owner to collect and hold into the gold dust and fillings then when i had enough saved up of 24k gold only i melted it down and oresed it out snd lulled it out to make a long strand of 24k gold wires and made a beautiful cuban chain link necklace and after i finished it they out it in the cabinet for sale and it fidnt have a proce but instead make offer silent auction highest bid wins and hand made by our apprentice. And it ended up selling for 15k dollars and i had a few diamonds around the pendant and the pendant was jusst a number 7 with lucky going acceoss it. Im usually not into gang banging type jewlery that rappers would wear but the main customer base of ours is very extremely rich white ppl mainly women and extremely wealthy black males who have a great job of just really good credit and opened up 5 different lines of credit to be able to afford a 15-60k dollar liece of jewelry
What does an Opel like that go for? I mean it can’t be put in my 👑 so…. Just a gorgeous gem you have to keep wet.
Putting an opal like this into a 'Snow Globe' in water might be a semi-permanent way to display it and show it to other people. (maybe with some glitter?)
Fantastic idea
Marvelous idea
Couldn’t you stabilize it?
Its definitely not non-hydrophane opal, the other one cracked because the moisture was releasing too fast from the opal, also it goes transparent because it has absorbed moisture, science explains all this stuff better then me.
Everyone was curious about the results, and in a 46 minute video, you showed us the results for 20 seconds from 2 feet away.............
good!
Gigantic! Really gotta find someone to facet my stones.
To be clear, you can't play with these for 'hours' as Steve said. I would say 10 minutes maximum, then back in water. If it is just in a 'humid' storage, then even less. But the humidity should stay above 75% at least.
I want to learn how to cut diamonds but I don't have a Machine cutter
Carving it into a rose-cut tortoise shell, or maybe a sugar loaf cabochon for the same "tortoise shell" type of object d'art. Where a bronze under-structure or "base" could be cast to hold the opal..... So the flippers and head would be bronze, and the flat backing the opal is on top of, could be black enamel to help the colors pop as the entire creature sits somewhere inside an aquarium. Because that way it'll always be in a wet environment. That could be fun.
But why did he it can never be jewelry?!!!? Why not because it needs moisture! I had so many pieces of this type and know has ever said keep it wet and charged me regular opal in gold ring price I’m broken heart 💔 to the core and so many broke and because of that it was my fault and never got a refund and I learn today they were liars to me ❤ thank you Opals is my birthstone
I mean it broke into pieces and they would say something I did and did know really sad to learn this lovely gem
@@tishsmiddy71
Opals are formed in sea beds and other bodies of salt water that is rich in silica. If the material is the hydrophane Ethiopian opal, it's likely to "craze" or "crack" all over the outside of the gem. Because the water that's permiated the crystal structure and what makes it look transparent is drying out. Think of it like Jello in a pan. If you leave it on the counter long enough the water will evaporate and the gelatin will shrink and form cracks. Which will cause it to dry up even faster.
Thats kinda whats happening with these types of opals.
A lot of turquoise has to be stabilized so it can be set in jewelry.
@tishsmiddy71 You should try to find jewellery items made with Australian opal. That way you know that it won't crack on you. Australian opal doesn't need to be kept in water. As like Ng as you take care of it, it'll last a lifetime. My mum's opal ring was made for her 21st birthday, back in 1973. It's still as beautiful as the day she received it, and the ring has actually outlasted my mum. ( She passed in 2011 from cancer - may she RIP).
@@samanthafairweather9186 Yeah, You are correct. Im actually not the person who made that video. I just left a comment on that video.
This gem should be placed under a waterfall perhaps. I can see it in a golden sculpture of an Eagles talon
This is a water opal... so it doesn't matter if it's cabochon or faceted. No point if it has to remain in water. 😢
Unless to practice faceting.
Me desculpe a sinceridade mas existem exemplares de minerais e mineralóides encontrados na natureza que não precisavam ser lapidados pela sua beleza natural👍💎
Put it in a fish tanks would be cool
Cant you just run the set screw in a bit (subsurface) and not remove it?
❤ wow
Some UV cure epoxy sets up instantly when hit with a UV flashlight
its a beautiful stone but I struggle to understand why anyone would facet opal. To me, it is sacrilege. But, you do what you want with your stones. great video.
because properly transparent opal with fire cuts into one of the most beautiful gems on earth.
@@chir0pteryep - through cutting and polishing, but it loses so much through facets! 🥺🤷🏼♀️
@@crissi6220 Nope, properly transparent opal with play of color transforms into the Arkenstone when faceted, much better than it could have been cabbed.
@@chir0pter Sorry, never heard of a mineral called "arkenstone"... And an opal is beautiful as it is, I don't see the necessity for it to "look like" something else. However "de gustibus non est disputandum"... 🤷🏼♀️
@@crissi6220 Lol 😂 you need media literacy 😂 Look up Arkenstone
Transparent opal with limited play of color is vastly improved by faceting as opposed to a cab
For opal that’s unstable couldn’t you put it in jewelry and keep it in water, only wearing it on special occasions…?
Its is pretty but without being able to make it into an art piece or Jewelry it might as well be an aquarium ornament. Thats why I dont buy Ethiopian opals they tend to crack and most collectors think of them as 2nd rate gems. I will stick to Solid high domed cabs. from lightning ridge Austraila any day of the week.
It looks like you are grinding not cutting.
Feel the cracks with car window filler fix😒 or some other glass fixing chemicals 🤔
sounds like you need to keep that in a fish tank so you can see it and it stays wet.
Like salt with metals in it.
Since it’s not hydrophane, couldn’t you coat it? Some sort of stone sealant or resin based lacquer?
Why would you facet an opal?
@@scolee6408 because we wanted to. It turned out beautiful when finished, too.
@@Moregems A waste.
Faceted iridescent glass.
ادا انتهيت في سقليها ارسلها لي هدية وشكرا هههههههه.انه عمل شاق ويطلب الدقة والعقل ممتاز
😅 Beautiful
Wonderfull0popalthankyoudaniel
The woman/women talking in the background the whole time was kind of distracting.
💗
А чого б предогранку не робити алмазним кругом,навіть обрізки з ТАКОГО опала коштували б дуже дорого
This Opal will never be jewelry.. how sad
What a crime against such a naturally gorgeous uncut stone. :(
Lol
Eothopian opals has little value, it absorbs water then break often.
may I ask what makes you think it is unstable?
crystal welo opal when polished is actually very stable
its the drying out that can make it craze
dry slowly in sealed baggy
@@yubz1496 Then immerse and see if it pulls itself into 2 to test that stability thing.
Horrific.
lol doesnt have to be kept wet
memezo opal maybe yes
@@yubz1496 Don't buy any of this thinking yours will dry without crazing. They mine it. They would dry it to sell if they could, eh?