The miner broke this opal and I still cut a gem 

Not everyone can afford those thumb sized beasts. These little rippers can still be amazing gems and open up black opal to us regular folks. Thanks you for putting your cutting wizardry on these little guys, too. 🤩

In this day and age it does this old mans heart good to see your son following in his fathers footsteps. The pride you feel is exactly what your father felt.

It is fantastic watching Saxon peering over your shoulder as you cut. I imagine thats what you used to do when your father would cut when you were younger. We’re watching the next generation of master cutter being born! You must be dead proud Justin. You deserve it.

Beautiful. Ya know Justin, these videos are eventually going to be such a gift to Saxon. When you are no longer here, he and your grandchildren will have your little pearls of wisdom and humor to watch over and over. So not only is this a gift to us, but it'll be a gift to your family for years to come, long after you are gone!

Justin, I found your channel about 10 days ago and I was just in the worst headspace. Your work is so wonderful and has given me so much joy to watch - I just wanted to say thanks. I have been learning lots from you and just wanna start cutting opals myself one day!! 💜💜💜

Thanks for the words of wisdom around 10 minutes. It fits in with your personality perfectly. Good gem cutter and a good man.

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man, true nobility is being superior to your former self.” Ernest Hemingway. Another amazing gem brought to life. Thanks.

Thanks for the dance, that Jem was is fantastic.

Your advice at the 10 minute mark was superb, thankyou for caring enough about your viewers to share your wisdom and your skill.

Bigger isn't always better. I love this one

Another signature gem. One of a kind with a unique landscape to the colors.

You have awesome manual dexterity, working those smaller pieces. I pray you never get arthritis.❤

Hi Justin, thanks gor the video.

I so enjoy watching your skill at gem cutting. I am amazed at the beauty you can reveal from each stone! I enjoy watching your videos! Thank you for sharing your passion with us!

Lovely black opal! I agree, would love to see the other portion of of that stone. Always a pleasure to see what you have in store for us on Mondays. Thanks for bringing us along as you expose the beauty hidden within each piece.

I was a bit worried about that black potch. It came out very nice. Master at work

Beautiful gem, Justin. I also agree that you must live up to your own expectations and not someone else's. Greetings from Dimboola, in Victoria, Australia 🇦🇺 😀.

Such a beautiful little opal dear Justin and Saxon 👋💎👍! Yes, you can only be yourself because everyone else is already occupied! We can only strive to better ourselves, and our better comes with experience as well as from watching others better than us. You Justin are a treasure of experience for Saxon just as your dad once was for you! Greetings to you all at BOD! 👋❤️👍

Another beautiful OPAL and it is nice to see your Son......Thanks Justin....Shoe🇺🇸

Hi Justin. Great to have you back. This was a ripper of a gem, and watching you use your mastery cutting and expertise at work was a thrill. Great video, thank you and to Black Opal Direct.... until next week....

Even watching your re-runs is delightful! Please don't ever stop Maestro.

You are truly an artist, that stone turned out so perfect. Thank you for letting us watch you work.

WOW. That's a beautiful black opal. The . and brightness are extraordinary. And thank you Justin for the words of wisdom. Words to live by!

I JUST discovered your channel and the brand new world of opals! How did I miss this for all these years on youtube?! Either way, glad to have found you!

I stumbled across one of your videos while watching watching videos of the middle east and ukraine and became fascinated by the black opal and you, in a day in time where everyone is trying to kill each other it does my heart good to watch someone turn a stone into something so beautiful ...thank you

Nice saying at the End.. we all should strive for a better us.. ☝️

So beautiful. I was wondering how they cut opals and this video explained it very nicely. It was also fascinating to think this guy makes something worth $3000 in 15 minutes of work but still has to remind himself not to compare himself to others. Good reminder.

The beauty showed QUICK

Gorgeous job cutting a really tricky piece of black opal Justin! What a beautiful completed stone so full of color ❣️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

The delicacy that you sand these stone is amazing! Each stone is a LOVE.

Gorgeous gem! Envy and jealousy for someone else is silly because you might want what they have, but you never know what trouble actually comes with it. I think the old movie, "The Gods Must Be Crazy" parodied this well.

Beautiful Gem, and Saxon watching his hero, learning from the master Gem Cutter was a treat to see! It's good to know BOD will be going strong for a long time to come! Catch you on the next. ✌️ 😊

Another beautiful gem opal from the skills of Justin! Loved that Saxon was glued to watching his dad work his magic on this lovely yet challenging gem. What a beauty!

You are fantastic at cutting these awesome gemstone.

amazing to watch and bring back memories of turning fiddleback wood and sometimes wishing you could put back on what just came off, but so differcult . love watching you

Of all the beautiful gems you present. You guys are the most precious.

Yet another gorgeous opal! If you keep making these amazing gems, how will I ever choose one? ❤😂

I watched a video of another RU-vidr talking to Justin at the Tucson gem show. The guy was talking about how great of a product it is and how every major person in the industry now uses Justin’s Gemfish ™️. I was really happy to hear that. You should be incredibly proud of yourself and everything you’ve achieved Justin. I love your videos.

Beautiful gem. Thank you, Justin.

Thank you Justin for sharing this adventure and seeing the beauty of the Opal was amazing !

That is a beautiful gem!! Great job!! Thank You for sharing this with us! 🥰🥰

Love your camera work. Of course opals are beautiful on their own, but you really make them pop.

Hello Justin, Just wanted to say, that you are such a great guy with a great attitude. I really enjoy your videos and wish you the best.

So happy to see how much your channel has grown my friend. I remember during 2020 watching while stuck at home. Amazing progress building not only a following of people, showing the world how amazing opals are and sharing your life with us all. Thank you Justin much love from north idaho usa. My son is going to be going to Australia soon, when we go visit him we plan on stopping by the shop to say hello.

My dad taught me to always do your best at whatever you are doing 😊😊😊😊

That’s a beautiful stone. I’m glad to see that Saxon seems more interested in cutting Opal. 👏👍😊

Adore these start to finish videos. Nice cameo from Saxon and another wonderful gem

I always watch your videos with your magnificent explanations. I had inherited an opal ring which belonged to my mother. It was bought in Australia when my father had worked there many years ago. I still take it out and look at it from time to time.

I don’t know what it is about opals but I find them to be very fascinating. It is not my birthstone or anything like that but I just love how they glimmer and the way they shine. They are truly a beautiful gemstone and I’m just fascinated by their colors and the way that they reflect light in all different colors and shades. They truly are magnificent gems and when I find this channel, it only fuels my interest in them.

Really fantastic Justin. Just beautiful to watch. I really agree that your videos are a gift to all, especially Saxon and the rest of your family. Thank you for sharing!

I like to watch other artisans work at skilled crafts I am not versed in. I buy, sell, trade and restore antiques as a small independent business owner. I'm not rich, but I work for myself when I want how I want, and am semi-retired at 37. I am so grateful to have gotten out of the terrible rat-race of shitty 9-5 jobs, spending all your time working and very little of it actually enjoying life. Now I wake up every day happy to see what the day will bring, instead of trudging off to the salt mines hating what I have to do to survive. I enjoy seeing you love and perfect your craft, like I love and perfect antique restoration. They are both long-acquired skills, that few others possess, but make such beautiful things which can't be created any other way. I feel your passion for your work, and know it in my own self. Good luck to you!

A very prophetic cut

I like the creamy white contrast to the colors. Keep some of it if you can!

"I got the smaller bit," LOL that's me on the regular

G;Day from Great White North (Ontario) Justin1 THis has to be one of the prettiest in a long while. A real ripper! Congratulations! :-)

That is a beautiful gem!!

You are very good at ginning up the drama.

Justin , Sir , you gave some awesome advice about life !

Gorgeous gem! Definitely worth the save.

Great piece Justing 'Good luck cutting it please be carful..🤲🙏

It looks like a summer pine forest seen with water and moon light... that's priceless in my oppinikn

Gorgeous! I'm uber competitive. I've been an athlete, so it came in handy, and everything I've had I've done from scratch myself. I've occasionally been accused of been jealous of a person, but I've never been jealous of anyone, their abilities, or materialistic worth in my life. Let's take you as an example; I sit here watching you produce the most beautiful gems from lumps of rock, because they are my favourite gems, but if I wanted to do this too then I can't think of a better person I'd rather watch to learn from. My competitiveness is what drives me to admire those I see with skill that is out performing my own, and using those people to inspire me to keep improving myself. I imagine jealousy and envy is a waste of time that could be better spent improving ones own skills.

Consistency, Justin, you bring it on. Thank you.

That's a bloody ripper! Love it.

Turned into a very nice looking stone. Have a ripper Justin!

Good Times As Usual!!!!

that black podge looked like a smile

Perfect orientation and beautiful color. Thanks for sharing. The big one always gets away 😊

Great video as always!

I just LOVE opals ❤😊

thats a beauty of a stone. nice job

Bravo! Love that little banger of a gem!

This little opal has a lot of wisdom.

We have a similar saying, there is always someone out there better than you (unless you were Ayrton Senna), so strive for the best. You still can be someone else's better.

Breakdancing at the end priceless!!😂😂

Gorgeous stone!

another stunner by the Master!!!!!

Nice little gem Justin!!

Well spoken my friend!!! And I learned alot from those few words thanks for that keep doing what you do.

Another amazing video❤Justin 👍

Stunning , good work thankyou for the upload . They say you dont pick crystals they pick you , I must say I'm drawn to opals they mesmerise me how the colours change and sparkle. One day I'll own one until then I got your channel 👍 new sub from across the pond. All the best mate

9:40 start of sage like wisdom for the ages 🥰🥹

Beautiful stone!! Beautiful advice well said mate

As always you've cut a beautiful stone!!! I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up

Holy sun rock I love it Justin

Best notification I got all day Justin thank you. Time to go on a binge watching spree can't get enough 😁😁

Gorgeous as always 😊

You are absolutely correct Justin, always striving to be better today than yesterday, that’s some great advice. Pearls of wisdom sir. I bet the bigger part of that nobbie was just as gorgeous as the smaller part, someone is very happy, but wishing they had the smaller part as well. As always, excellent work sir, I could only hope to be 1/4 as good, but I promise you, I will strive to be better today, than I was yesterday. And giving credit due, I follow you, and a select couple more, to learn as much as I can. Thank you for being who you are, you share so much with us, a true inspiration Sir.

Yeah man, that is beautiful! ❤

Morning everyone ☺️

absolute stunner

Excellent video, and great advice at the end. Comparing oneself to others will only bring misery. "Be the best you can be" is the mantra of my username.

Goodmorning B.O.D team, a great black opal that turned out to be. 1 ct is enough of this fine gem. i would be backslamming and spinning also 😂, just be the best you can be. Nobody else or material items should matter they will inspire one as you guys do ❤

Beautiful gem sir 😍

Wow that polish machine looks EPIC MATE !!! Btw…it’s hard sometimes being a 🦂 …everyday you do your best and always feel like you could do better …The highs and lows 😂❤😂…thx for sharing your thoughts J

Hiya Justin, awesome video and beautifully done on the stone mate. I hope you have a awesome blessed day mate. Cheers! Cya! 😺🐟 out!

Yet another stunning gem, I hope Saxon is learning well from his "Old Man"

Amazing Absolutely beautiful!

Love the yellow

Awesome Video as always mate :) I wish my machine was as clean as yours hahah The joy of cutting boulder opals though 😀