Cutting a HUGE 100 carat rough into a Planet Earth Opal!

[@HaThiDieu]

I enjoyed watching you make the opal. The sound of the wheels are relaxing.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Agreed

[@______IV]

Opal is a gamble every step of the way. Choosing a mining site, how much equipment to buy, choosing on whether to sell the rough now bc eating food and having a place to live is fun or whether you keep the rough for a rainy day to try and get a better price. Then there’s the gamble of buying rough, cutting it, and fingers crossed cracks/crazing don’t develop after it’s been sitting in your drawer for 6 months. Finally selling the finished pieces. A person would have to be nuts to deal with opal, but it’s absolutely worth it bc there’s just nothing else like opal.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Agreed!

[@AusOpal]

I love the big opal stones , Coober is the easiest to cut has the least of surprises. This would really pop with a black behind it. Great job

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Absolutely! I was so bummed it cracked in the middle that I kinda lost my mind. Maybe I'll go back and make this into a doublet.

[@BeckyBichChi]

Your videos are good mate. I saw the royal blue gems one and liked it. The thickness was good.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Thanks very much 😀. The thickness on those royal blue stones is good but I only salvaged like 1% of the original size 😂

[@TrúcMinhWaleran]

The red powder at the end makes them shine.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Yes, plus I use 22000 grit diamond paste in the centre of the polishing wheel.

[@samanthafairweather9186]

You should've made it a drop shape. Use your head, look at what you have, and walk away to think what is best. With the way it broke, you could've had the perfect drop shape. Get rid of the clear section, use the pointy part for reference. You would've saved a lot more of a stunning stone that way.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Good point Samantha. Every cut is a learning process

[@MustafaGur-ci6zi]

That's a beautiful gem. It's a pity that it broke. Fractures really upset me.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

I'm not gonna lie, I was super bummed

[@AlevHazarfen]

That thing must have worn your wheels out with so much grinding. Looks good in the end.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Thank you!

[@lyndallsymons9767]

1 perfect stone 2 shifty ones 😮

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

I guess you mean the royal blue stones?

[@BaranTekin-ix1vt]

Do Aussie pieces fracture like this normally? I always read that they are high quality and don't break.

[@dcallan812]

Its difficult to say that all Australian opal wont fracture. You can have 2 mines less than a mile apart and the opal will have different characteristics. But usual the Aussie opals are not known for fracturing. It might even have been caused when the opal was dig up it the miner caught the edge with a drill it ca send shock waves into the gem and later they slipt.

[@samanthafairweather9186]

All opal can fracture. It's like any other gemstone - there's plenty of variables. My foster father was an opal miner in Lightning Ridge. Some opals were amazing. Some opals were not. Some had inclusions, some had fractures, both natural AND man made. Not every opal that is found is perfect, not every opal has the quality to become a jewellery piece. You can buy a lot of rough opal that looks like it will cut well, and not get anything out of it, yet the next lot you buy can make you a fortune. Saying that no Australian opals fracture is like saying the Titanic was "unsinkable" - and we all know how that turned out.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

@@dcallan812 agreed, thanks for the input.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

@@samanthafairweather9186 Good points, I find that all opal fractures from everywhere. The most stable is for sure Brazilian but it's really expensive and the colors are tough to compare to lightning ridge or Coober pedy

[@nguyenquanlGR1]

It really does look like the Earth

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Especially at the end when its circular

[@LamQuangLuyen]

How long did the whole process take from start to finish? Its a long video.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

It took me about 5 hours over two days to complete. I lost all motivation after that big chunk broke off and had to leave it till the next day.

[@HoàiGiaYến]

When you make it double sided does it get too think? is it fragile?

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Hello, this one is still thick and strong. But for sure if you make them too think they can snap.

[@melodyfaith7712]

very pretty.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Thank you, Appreciate it.

[@denisemurray412]

I find it hard to see the stone color because you have flooded the whole area with so much lighting. If you used a spotlight over the grinder area, and then reduced the surrounding area light, then you could see the color pop. I don't know what others see, but I see a lot of milk and very little color.😕

[@christinadanielsson2977]

I agree but a little, it's to bright behind it. If it was darker behind the stone instead of white and not that bright light then I imagine it would help to see the colours in the Stone better...I love the crystal opals SO much and this is a beauty!! Absolutely amazing!!

[@______IV]

He’s kind of limited by the color of his lapidary equipment and the need for proper lighting to cut opal. Crystal opal is always more difficult to accurately present on camera than opal with inherently dark/matte backing, especially when it’s being cut and he needs all the light he’s got in order to chase that color. Just my opinion anyway.

[@PeteBachLien]

If you use a rotary you would save a lot of weight.

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

I know what you mean but I'm too lazy 😆. I used to do everything by hand but now I just don't have the time.

[@MertDedeman]

Subscribed :-)

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Thank you, appreciate it 😃

[@SarpFrtna]

What did you do with the part that you snapped off? Can I buy it?

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

I put it in the shard jar with all the bits that break off when I cut. Got a half jam jar filled if you are interested. I guess you could slice them for inlay?

[@deltabluesdavidraye]

Cant see any color

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

ya, my bad. Someone else pointed this out as well. I was cutting outdoors and it was very bright. Now its winter so I've moved the wheels inside and I think the colors should be brighter in the new videos. It's a learning process.

[@EmreDemir-ho2rd]

I make jewellery and would be interested in cooperation. Is wholesale possible? How many carats?

[@LuxuryOpalsEurope]

Sure, hit me up at [e-mail]