I look through a 15 oz parcel of Mintabie Seam Opal, that was mined in the 1990s, but forgotten. It was recently discovered (360 oz!), and this is a portion of it.
I would take opal over diamonds any day, they are the most beautiful stone to me. Reminds me of the northern lights. My mother bought me my first opal when I was 14 and I still have it 15yrs later. I wish I had the skill and knowledge to work with the stones like you do! Sanding it layer by layer and seeing all the different colors appear is magical.
Lucky Lex , you can learn . Probably will be very good loving opal so much . I’m auss , and indifferent to it myself 😬 But yes I agree with you kiddo ,very beautiful.
@@aronoddi5465/playlists Opal, being fairly soft, you can do a credible job with diamond needle files and sand papers. Finnish it with a leather fingernail buff and a little cerium oxide. Except for the polish, don't use any water - it goes slow enough that there are no heat problems, and, because you can see most problems developing slowly, you can "head 'em off at the pass", so to speak. You don't need a million dollars worth of equipment to cut an opal. I've done it many times.
This video was so cool. I am a Gemology enthusiast. Every video with good info like this one gets me closer to my goal of actually working with stones. Thank you for the great video. Keep them coming Sincerely, Jesse.
Start small buy things that are expensive but easy to sell. That way you can buy quality items and not be stuck with trash. This guy is skilled and really Its his skill making these valuable. That being said happy hunting.
Love the way you give information about the stones you cut. Opal is my favorite gem stone and watching your videos has helped me to learn more about them. Thanks so much and keep em coming
Thanks for another informative video Don. It is always a pleasure to watch professionals work and get to hear how they problem solve. Cutting opals is all about problem solving on the fly😉
I’ve never even seen opal in person and starting to learn and get into it and it’s so cool. Everything about the different opals is so amazing looking and blows my mind Mother Nature can do such beautiful stuff. I’m ready to go dig some opals!!!!!! Love your videos sir very informative and interesting and you do very very nice work!! Keep up the great videos!!
Just recently found your channel and I love that you go into such detail about each opal that you work with. I didn't realize how many different kinds of opal there are out there. Thank you. :)
I've to stumble upon your video and find it very fascinating to watch your videos. Even the low-grade opals are beautifully sparkled. Thanks for the videos.
You're such a talented lapidary artist and o pop al expert. Even though I didn't win anything,I feel I've learn new knowledge about goals and that's priceless! Thank you very much!💖
As a lifelong opal lover, & eventual "opalaholic", have always loved learning, & especially keen to hear/learn from those with good knowledge, of all kinds. It is always so encouraging when generous people, like yourself, are willing to share valuable time, energy, & expertise. So many crucial things going on in life, & mostly since endeavering into youtube/social media, have been focused on news related "issues", mostly pertaining to the USA, our survival & future of our Constitutional Republic, & also freedom, etc. WW. While that is still my main focus, I can't tell you what a wonderful thing it was to discover the wealth of heart in individuals posting in this "field", & while the gems & esp. info are invaluable, & a welcome, even needed break from all the worlds pressing issues, it 's the spirit of you all sharing your passions, that are without a doubt, most precious of all! (Long but truly heartfelt way to say, hope you'll continue, please know it's appreciated >>> THANK YOU! ;)
Hi am new (6 months) to gem collecting but have become mesmerized by opal. I never knew there were so many types. Have been working my way through your videos that are fascinating and so informative. Can't wait for your next post!. Please I would be honoured to be entered into your giveaway for only one piece so others can have some too. I am in the UK and would pay postage costs. Keep the videos coming and thank you for helping me learn so much xx
Pulitzer Opal Hi and thanks for your reply. Are there really that many types of Opal. I have a few different ones and other gem stones I have bought. I must have about 40 gems now and am also collecting pearls. Opal, pearl, Moroccan Amethyst. Anahi Ametrine and Mawi Kunzite are some of my top favourites but Opal is right up there. I can only source about 6 types at the moment. I would be grateful if you have time and are able to drop me line with a few others that I could look out for and aquire. This is a legacy collection I am building that I will leave to my little granddaughter when I pass on to a higher place. Will be looking out for your next exciting post! If I wasn't as old as I am I have loved to get into gem cutting. Nevermind opportunity missed will stick to collecting and teaching myself silversmithing. Kind Regards Donald, Stephanie x
Awesome,get some low end pieces to start with. Also find a good honest dealer I had to get burned a few times when I started just part of the live and learn aspect of everything. Whatever stones you plan on using most,study study study them, I used mostly turquoise and man there is so many colors , mines and whatnot,real easy to think you hit paydirt when it's really not even average material.good luck and hope you become very successful
I just found your channel. It is wonderful. I am learning a lot about opal. It my favorite stone. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, it is appreciated!
Not many know, but opal is very good for anyone who suffers from anxiety and depression! It provides the energy an will to live life to the fullest, as well as be one with nature. They call it the "eye stone". Opal in the metaphysical aspects works as a prism ,with your light energy, spreading out all the different aspects of your soul separate, for healing or evaluating thy self on a whole. All an all, it has amazing energys, looks gorgeous, and helps make you feel happy and bright! Just like the man who makes these videos. Thankyou for the video's, very lovely!🙏😊
thanks I wanted 8" (i have large hands as well) but that machine was an additional $1000 dollars. I am a bladesmith and I am using the machine to add jewels to my knives.In the handles and scabbards.
No although I wish I had been. I have been developing my skill set for the past 4 years and plan on launching as a business this Christmas season. I have some experience with cabbing machines through a friend that has a full stone cutting and shaping set up as well as a store for selling his finished products. I even had an opportunity to visit his and his brothers gold mine up in the sierra's. He has some dark grey stone(possibly Basalt?) with white quartz veins that contain gold I am hoping to get from him to make cabs with. Most Opal I have seen in California from Australia is mid grade quality at best
I just spoke with my friend that has it , He said he has a box full somewhere but he has to find it. He has probably 50 or 60 boxes of stones so it may take some time, I'll let you know when I find out. When we visited his mine up in the Sierra's the local grocery store had gold scales next to the cash register so that the miner's could buy groceries directly with the gold that they had mined. It is a different world up there.
Wonderful work on this one, I allways learn something new about my favorite stone in the world in your videos. Opal has allways had my heart as in most gemstones you get one or two colors while with opal you can have the whole damn rainbow, comes in endless color an pattern combinations an no two stones are ever the same and you can stare at an opal an allways see something new about it. It's why it's my personal favorite stone to collect an work with in my jewelry. Anyway I'm rambling, lol. Keep up the amazing work!
I absolutely love watching your videos and the way you study the opal. What comes from them is absolutely amazing. I've bought some small pcs of whelo opal I believe it's called. I love turning and looking at the colors flow it's so relaxing.
I thoroughly enjoy watching you go into detail over your pieces. Opal is my girlfriends favorite gemstone. She would lose her mind if I gave her something like this.
Although I'm from Scotland, a country with next to no history of gem production I find these videos fascinating. Thank you for taking the time to make them. It is always a pleasure to watch craftsmen at work.
You don't need to put me in the drawing. I am here to see what you can coax from all your rough. It is always a thrill to see the colors shine through. Thank you for sharing your craft.😊
I'll throw my name into the hat. Just by and by, the frosted look on the edge is probably from tumbling the rough when it comes out of the ground. I've seen some miners do that not only to clean off the opal, but using water in the tumbling process also lets the color shine better so they can sort it out from the common opal. Then some of them even whack a piece with a hammer on the edge (or snip it with tin snips) when it shows color, just to get a quick look at the color bar and see what color and form it has, to sort it into graded lots quicker. That's why some pieces might be frosted except one edge. Also, if you want a really nice way to inspect sand spots in stones, you might want to buy a collimated light source that will allow you to broadcast directional light underneath the imperfection. I use a small 123+ battery powered jade torch for inspecting opal, but they're very intense flashlights and they get hot to the touch after a couple minutes, so a longer flashlight is better in that regard. The column of light gives it more direction and by casting the light at the sand from different directions, and you'll see a shadow shooting off from the imperfection that will tell you it's shape and depth a lot easier. The super intense light really makes the stones sparkle when you hold it back from a distance, so if you have something with really nice flash but no sunlight to enjoy it in, a jade torch is almost as nice.
BTW, the torch I use is from Tank007, machined from solid aluminum with a single aircraft-grade LED to give the light better direction. They're a little pricey at $50, but you can find multi-LED ones from other manufacturers for around $10-$20 that should do well.
I've been playing with opal and fire agate. Careful, you will get hooked, quick! I just use a flex shaft on a WEN tool and diamond bits to get the business done!
You have sparked a new interest in me I have watched many of your videos and just dig every one of them. Always let enjoy learning new things. Would love to get my hands on some of that opal too! lol.
Just became interested in opal recently and find these stones incredibly beautiful. Want to learn to cut and polish. I'm not wealthy so it's going to take a lot of practice and patience, not to mention $$$. Just want o thank you for sharing your experience! I learn something new every time I watch your Utube presentation. Thank You! Keep sharing please!
I would love to have a piece of Mintabie seam opal. I've always found that all opals have their own special beauty. No 2 look alike and now matter how many times you look at a piece of opal, it always seems to look different. I love watching your videos, you always explain everything clearly, and the love you have for opals shows through.
@@PulitzerOpal i studied 2 years in nijmegen. But I'm now studying in Breda and love the city. 😊 you should definitely visit more than Amsterdam. Amsterdam is more for tourists then Dutch people 😉
Wow, how cool. I had never seen the opal unpolished. I loved this video, you surprised me !! Great video, keep doing beautiful things !!! Best wishes from Brazil.
Keep them coming pulitzer opal your a legend. Over 165,000 people have gotten to enjoy viewing the glory of opal through your perspective. Where do you find your opal gamble?
Man it’s good to see how it goes from rock to polished pill shape and the process. 👍👍👍 I can’t wait to get a lapidary machine to work stuff I find, very inspiring watching your vids 🙏
Good stuff! Around this time last year I started messing around with Opals and I got completely hooked. Great videos especially when it comes to the “how” and “why” of Opal cutting/shaping. It’s tough when you’re trying to learn with a Dremel without guidance on what to look for etc... Thx for the guidance!
Pulitzer Opal thanks so much. Do you have any thoughts on a beginner lap machine or just stick with the Dremel until after I read that book (or Two.) Thanks so much!
Pulitzer Opal One last question (sorry) any books or material that helps someone estimate Opals value? This is the hardest thing I’ve struggled with and can be frustrating. Thank You!
Opal is my absolute favorite! Thanks for the awesome videos! I’m a new subscriber and brand new collector and rock hound! My hubby and I are currently on a one week vacation to Nevada and Arizona looking for opals, turquoise and of course gold!
FROM YOUR VOICE MY FRIEND AND YOUR HANDS. YOUR HANDS TALK THE WALK. PLEASE POST MORE OF YOUR FINISHED PRODUCTS. MAY I ASK IF YOU ARE SELLING AND WHERE TO GO. OH, HELLO FROM USA.@@PulitzerOpal
I find this very interesting. Never paid much attention to opal till watching your videos. I think its would be a great get into cutting and polishing as a hobby.
I enjoy the videos a lot. I was always the kid who had a bookshelf full of rocks growing up. Plenty of flint here in Ohio, and lots of other stones, mostly odd shapes or colors. I’ve just got into tumbling some. Thanks for showing us your skill.
Will do, I live close to Nellie and would love to find some “Nellie blue” flint, but it’s all but gone now. Still looking though every time I head to the river.
love watching your videos even though i will probly never in my life time get to learn or afford to make nice stones it is still nice to watch and learn what you do
Greetings from Serbia. Those are some really nice looking opals. You are so privileged to be near such amount of a beauty. Thank You for sharing your luck with us.
Great job and God bless..I hope i will get the capsel shape to make some one happy here ...thank you for your informative info that you give about the opal cutting
I do enjoy very much your videos. I am just starting to understand and fall in love with opal, as gaining experience as well, so far only 33 years old. Even my childrens and family still supporting my idea. I don't think they will hold like this forever. Having stones sometimes even on my balcony, seems like when the sun is shining i will always be trying to be around there imaging how may get the best shape i could do on it... all my best wishes to you, and good luck.
Thank you Donald, for your lovely advices. I do leave in Spanien, but leaving before in Colombia and Austria, where i do serve for the Army for the last 17 years, in many different crisis areas, somehow i do have enough of that. Right now serving on probably my last, or almost last mission as well. Actually in Spanien they do not go for opals, but i am concentrating on the tourism in the country. A mixture of high class filigree, at the beginn in silber (cost!) and later on, we will see. Slowly i am getting better into it. A custom made machine for my intention may be shiped next week, and for the silber, i got a good oportunity with a Jooltool, she makes specials for soldiers, those crazy ones, serving, honestly don't knowing even olr what, on the Middle East i was already serving with australian soldiers as well, to that time i didn't know about the existence of opals. That is the reason why i would slowly quit. I do believe very much in WELO-Opals, unfortunatly i just burned my first one, bur it was absolutly my fault and for my look for sure under 40USD, and i still apologizing the nature for that. But i was bit crazy to cut and polish and opal with a €50 Dremel, don't you think? At the moment i got with Honduras Matrix Opal, they could have if they like you, also good material to work on, and by 260-460USD per over 4 kilos is not that huge amount of money. I think it is impossible to get Andamooka for such a low price. Ones i would like to try this material, but it is nowhere avaible in Spain at all. Just got a good but very expensive offer for 300kg of Boulder Opal (Australia) as you surely know, those i love too, but it is like a lottery, but they are at least in Europe and the ammount could be affordable. Is just high because of the ammount. I do slowly believe those are my starts number into my particular choose, which i believe to follow. Even hier in the mission i do have with me two (2) opal rings, and two (2) rough pieces, at least to look at them and feel like i am home for a short while. Thanks again
Very nice work, I'm from Guatemala and they have the most beautiful opals I never seen before in my country hope some day you can go there and enjoy them.
Keep me on your list for any other future giveaways pretty Please...🤞🙏 I'd just be very grateful for any lil piece of anything you want to giveaway. I always enjoy your videos they are educational to me & love the step by step parts each time you cut & grind down to expose the inner beauty of each treasure you find. Beauty truly is in the "Eye of the beholder."😍👍🏼 Blessings!💖💓
Thank you for the video. That is a beautiful stone. I purchased a Mintubi plate from Murray a month ago and I have been waiting to cut it. I hope it turns out as nice as yours.
i can see the possibility of looking into the wet stone. slow working and dealing with sand can be a problem but taking down to smaller pieces sometimes gives me a surprise. Love to try some.
