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.....
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.
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! 😊
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.
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!
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 🦋
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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 .
I don't know what happened to the channel while you were on vacation but I sure am enjoying the new feel of it. The new angles and sounds are great. Well done! Sorry these didn't work out but if there is any opal cutter that can overcome it, you are the one.
It was good to see the downside as well. A lot of videos only show the "successful" stones. Never the losses. Keeps it real for us. Thank you. Greetings from Dimboola in Victoria.
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.
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
Thanks for a good atitude I watch your cutting sessions over and over it is like therapy to me. Right now im trying to get over covid 19 and it good to have you doing what I cant; but still enjoy
Hi Justin. Just watched your latest episode.I,really love knowing the price you paid for the stone before & after , it makes it more real. I’m sorry to say , I’ve only discovered your channel a few months ago & love it. My viewing history over the years is extremely broad & I can’t believe just how much content there is on RU-vid. So just wanted to say that you keep me very entertained. I’ve been on your wonderful website & had a look at what’s for sale. There are so many beautiful items on there for sale. I’m a 58 year old male sitting at home on a disability pension, living my life through my tv & RU-vid can take me anywhere around the world . I spend many many hours watching all sorts of wonderful things that people all round the world are doing. I very rarely send a comment to people because I can’t on my tv , but I always subscribe & give a 👍 if I like it . So now I’m on my iPad leaving you this message, just felt that I needed to because your so special . Hopefully one day I can afford one of you beautiful masterpieces. Your shows bring me a lot of joy. Anyhow, I’m sure your a very busy man & thanks for entertaining me . P.S. I still haven’t worked out when your on live , I will have to do something about that . Thanks.
Don't be sad sir. You help us learn this amazing craft that you do so well. Success or failure we learn from it all. There is beauty in flaws. Thank you for sharing.Big love from a mom in a small town.
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...
heart breaking video... that this small lines are able to ruin evrything is an absolute nightmare. i could really feel the pain. but at the end... some verry nice gems. love it!
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
Admitting to and improving from failure, that makes you awesome. the fact that you dont hide these failures humanizes you, because no one is perfect, but it makes you yet so much better regardless. there's a lot of respect to be gained, and you surprise me over and over, in good ways. take care man :)
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.
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!
Justin I love your channel. Just got done watching this one, and I love how you go back and forth with your emotions, the bad, then good!!! Crying, then straight faced, and crying again!!! You are so fun to watch, and the opals are so beautiful!!!
So sorry you lost out this time but the process is still fascinating. I started stone tumbling last September and it has been quite a learning curve, I’m getting good results now but there’s a big difference between my shiny beach stones and your $8000 stone. Keep doing what you are doing Justin we love you for it.
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!
I loved this video every piece of opal I have cut has been full of sand however the parcels I have have been around $250 each as I’m still learning I just get so disappointed you are the King of opals when watching this it lets me know it happens to us all.
This was the first time I saw a "fail". It was really intereresting. So many thanks for that! And I'm looking forward to many, many more "wins". Bless you for making this time more beareable.
If I had my life to live over, I’d cut opals thanks to watching your videos. Love your channel. Sending hugs and good wishes and sincere thanks to you Justin from Canada! Best on RU-vid. I sometimes binge watch your videos, even if I’ve seen some of them before. Wonderful.
Just like you said, not every one works out. But when it does. It REALLY does. And you’re such a goofball and love how you don’t take yourself TOO seriously. Even in your fails, you find the humor. Love it!
thanks for posting this. it gives us novice cutters a bit of confidence knowing that even the pros can have their hiccups. As long as something is learned i’d call this a Win.
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.
Ive been playing with 'BC Ocean Picture Stone'. The way you try to picture what lies underneath the surface has helped me SO much. Not a gemstone, but the same 'mystery' begs to be revealed. Understanding how the layers move and overlap have a lot of shared qualities between the two. You've helped boost my courage to go for it, and be okay if it doesn't pan out. Of course, the relative price difference makes picture stone much lower risk! Quarter slots at the casino versus the high roller poker game, but both fun in their own way!
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.
I have been here on this channel ages ago and I haven’t seen a lot of mistakes here ur work is always perfect Keep it going man and thanks for the tips 💙
Thank you for sharing this with us Justin. It helps to learn what you think and what our eyes are showing us as well. Total side note. One thing I have noticed with Opal people is there love and respect. Kindness and mercy and Love of special things in life such as Opals. IMO wonderful and good people. God Bless all of you in life. Of course you as well, Justin!
I'm surprised you don't slice these multiple layers into thinner stones in these certain occasions. But you are the expert. Love to try my hand at this.
I learn more from your struggles. Your failures are successes because lessons are learned. I kind of liked the black striations in the opal. It gave it character. I thought it was beautiful. Sometimes the imperfections are what makes things perfect. It's like a granite countertop that is just like all the other countertops. If it has a bold streak of black running through the middle, that makes it beautiful. I love the way this episode was formatted. The length was perfect and I was mesmerized. I don't think I blinked the entire video. Thank you Justin, I always look forward to your lessons.
I am an intermediate cutter, above a hobby level but not doing enough to make a living at it professionally. For me it is about finishing the piece. Each one is unique and beautiful in its own right. I have been told repeatedly that some of my pieces have character. If what I do brings pleasure to someone else, that is the true joy and reward for me as a cutter. I have learned a lot watching you. The highs and lows is not something many cutters share so openly. Thank you for the videos and keep them coming.
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.
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.
This breaks my heart seeing you take a loss like that. People need to see these videos like this. They probably think there is a fortune in every rock.
I appreciate that you film these videos, and post them, of the songs that aren't winners. It's instructive to see your process and watch you recover from the worst the some throws at you. Life hands us many defeats, as you say, and how we respond to them forms us into the people we become. P.S. I really wish I were more like you in that area, Justin. Thank you.
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.
I’m going to play this episode for my students. What a tremendous lesson for them to learn from. Also, your emphasis on being educated to minimize the losses. It’s pretty simple - you are tremendous!
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.
This was a really great video man. Not that I’ve ever seen any of yours that wasn’t haha! But I love the final products but also the message behind it. 👌
Really appreciate your honesty showing this video Justin. Your a Master Cutter, and look forward to your next winner. Thank you for this interesting video, Black Opal Direct.
While not what you wanted there are still gorgeous colours in the pieces you cut. Great attitude too and good that you share your disappointment realistically.
Very good video Justin', all the way through. I especially enjoyed the thorough explanations at the beggining, when you were pointing directly at the areas of the stone and how you planned to work on it. The plan was crystal clear... even if, in the end, it didn't quite work out as hoped... C'est la Vie. ;) I can't wait for the next video ! Take care. E.
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, 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.
Go on you, Justin, for not letting it get to you, (much). :) I think the lines look nice, myself, but I understand they devalue the stones. Best of luck on the next parcel!
I just started watching your videos, and let's just say "I'm hooked!" As opal is one of my Stones according to my astrological sign..... I had no idea just how beautiful and that there were different types of opal? Crazy thing is I'm into crystals and rocks etc. Oh well," I absolutely love learning something new everyday!" By the way, it was very touching, and showed a lot of character in your live feed video and the way you responded to people's admiration for you and who you are and what you do...... Even though I can't afford one of your beautiful black opal pieces, it's good to know that good vibes and positive energy will be a bonus when people get one of your pieces of art..... Have a wonderful day! Peace love unity and respect.....
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 👍
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.
I love to watch you work. Opal is so gorgeous. And your right we have to stress less. Life is worth more than how much money we make. It helps but it don't define us poor or rich. Great worth ethics n kindness defines us. A job is worth doing well no matter the outcome.
