Four Horsemen of the Opal Apocalypse. Lightning Ridge Crystal Opal Carving GONE WRONG

[@Scarlet_Soul]

Always stay away from crack

[@RoysRocks]

Wise words to live by.

[@dcallan812]

🤣

[@FreeYourMindArt]

Thanks for the tips Roy, it all helps us noobies. That is still a beautiful opal.

[@RoysRocks]

I can't see the beauty in this stone yet. I'll have to give it some time 😂

[@AlabamaUSA1234]

No matter what, that's a beautiful opal..

[@RoysRocks]

This one almost went straight in the bin. I've been spoilt by good stones lately.

[@offyarocka]

Good to see when things dont go right with a stone 🤔🤔🤔 Thanks for sharing 🙏🙏🙏

[@RoysRocks]

I kept this one because it was the rare quadruple fail.

[@ccccarriemchardy9216]

Ah, the curse of opal!.

[@RoysRocks]

Quad curse this one. Hopefully that means the next stones are good...

[@Kerrsartisticgifts]

Man, that stone looked so nice to begin with. I would be crying like a baby if I got a nice-looking beginner stone and it got worse when I tried to cut it

[@RoysRocks]

It happens and I dont tend to cry about it much anymore but still sad every time. I might slice it edge up and use as inlay material. Good salvage operation and give me a chance to show the ultra thin dremel blade.

[@jay8353]

​@RoysRocks wow I always wondered if there was an ultra thin dremel blade. I've just bought the sapphire trim saw you reviewed. It's arrived but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. I'm also waiting on 2 parcels of lightening ridge rough,1 is a really dark blue on black,and the other is what I think is pinfire but looks like a galaxy in a stone and I have my fingers x that it's not got the issues you had.

[@123bbbooobbb]

very deceiving stone. looks great from the side . would not expect it turn out like that. thx roy

[@RoysRocks]

Yeah it got me hook line and sinker. I had soo many to choose from as well but bet on this one working... how wrong I was.

[@bbisyy4u]

Pretty color. It’s a shame you couldn’t get that color in the face. 😢. Hopefully it won’t be too hard to come across another piece.

[@RoysRocks]

I'll get what I am looking for at some point. I'll go back to some Boulder opal this week and try the runner up stone I set aside.

[@LifeIsWhatYouMakit]

All of your stones are simply mesmerizing, you will end up in the Opal hall of fame my friend

[@RoysRocks]

Not with an entry like this. My best fossils might get close to up there but probably still fall short. There are $100,000+ stones out there. I probably have a couple $10,000 stones but that is it.

[@Udgaard01]

Slightly dark pictures, but otherwise interesting 😊👍👍

[@RoysRocks]

Its dark like my mood on a failing stone.

[@debadams5676]

Thanks for sharing the ones that don't work out, not just the perfect cuts, I feel better knowing it's not only because I'm a noobie that I have fails, it's sometimes just the opal. I'd love to see how it turns out as a doublet.

[@RoysRocks]

You might get your wish. I resisted the urge to throw it in the bin and I'll salvage it somehow.

[@nicolemurray-jeffery7433]

I’ve had a few of these type of stones, they give you a false hope lol. It’s a gamble sometimes, but a learning opportunity. Thanks for sharing Roy 😊

[@RoysRocks]

Could be worse. I could have spent hours on it only to find it was cracked at the end... that has happened a few times as well.

[@jay8353]

​@@RoysRocksI just had that happen. I've hear that if you rub it and leave it for a couple of days before you polish it,and check it for cracks before polishing it. Apparently it helps to see if it's going to be stable. Have you heard of this? I heard Julian say something about it and week or so ago

[@Marb-pd9jz]

That's a beautiful colour regardless of its imperfections.

[@RoysRocks]

Only really from the side shot the face really isn't much in person. Looks slightly better on camera than it is in real life (blue often does that).

[@Marb-pd9jz]

​@@RoysRocksYes the side shots did look really good. Can't say l have any rough bits of opal in that colour..its probably because l have mainly boulder 😊

[@nancycurtis7315]

Thanks Roy, it is a great video. It's a perfect example of how opal can be. A trickster. 😢 Hi to all. Greetings from the Little Desert area of Victoria, Australia.

[@RoysRocks]

Trickster demon! I need an exorcist to reset the workshop and cleanse it.

[@nancycurtis7315]

@@RoysRocks 🤔🤣

[@chadatchison145]

Thanks for the video Roy.

[@RoysRocks]

No worries Chad. A sad one this time.

[@jeffholmes1362]

Man the side colour and pattern was stunning, sad when they don’t face right or that potchy cloud doesn’t go away..

[@RoysRocks]

I have a backup plan... might be dumb but might be the next video. We will see...

[@jeffholmes1362]

@@RoysRocks please, please, please. Let’s see your evil plan

[@chasecarlson4900]

I have a blue with a cats eye pattern from lightening ridge. The side is a blue flash but when rotated it forms a straight blue line across and it moves just like a traditional cats eye gemstone. I actually have more blue than anything; I assumed it was the most common precious Opal color in crystal since I have so much blue in crystal pieces

[@RoysRocks]

Yeah blue is the most common but I really love a blue on black LR opal. Something dark and menacing about it. Yours sounds super interesting.

[@charleslatre1436]

Thank you for sharing

[@RoysRocks]

No worries. A failed attempt every now and then resets expectations. 😂

[@elishadoyle8191]

It definitely looked nice to start with 😢

[@RoysRocks]

Haha dont they all? 😂

[@simondennis3450]

Always a shame when it goes that way.

[@RoysRocks]

True but happens and we have to roll with them punches from the opal gods.

[@brentmathie3271]

The potch looks grey

[@RoysRocks]

Most potch from lightning ridge is grey.

[@PulitzerOpal]

I never fail like this ... SHAME! When things don't go well, I just delete the video files and throw the opal away, so there is no trace of failure! (I enjoyed the video and I actually thought that you were going to pull it out! You can now slice it into tiny pieces ..... oh -- I guess that was what you did in the other video! duh...

[@RoysRocks]

Haha There are plenty that do hit the cutting room floor (both opal and videos) but every now and then I like to show misbehaving material especially when it is a lightning ridge with a mintabie attitude.

[@eirintowne]

With stones like that, why not face them from the side? The gems will be narrow, sure, but the colour will pop!

[@RoysRocks]

To narrow to be kept as a solid this is all filmed with a macro camera the bar is only a few mm thick. I think I will slice it for inlay though just for an interesting desperation salvage video example.

[@dcallan812]

🤦‍♂ such a shame, it looked great from the edges but the faults were a killer. 2x👍

[@RoysRocks]

I have a plan B to harness the good angle... coming soon. unless it fails 😂

[@janellehoney-badger6525]

I bought one of those Opal vials from a company here, in Australia, & I was lucky enough to find a few nice cut off sections of a similar size to this one, however I’m a total amateur so I’m practicing on the worst bits, using cheap equipment but I’ve got a feel for it due to my lab skills although my hands get tired now. What type of drill bit was the 120 you mentioned? Was that a diamond bit?

[@RoysRocks]

That was a sintered diamond bur like this: www.roysrocks.com/product-page/sintered-diamond-burr-10-piece-kit The jar ones are typically less rough so starting out with a 600 grit is probably better.

[@franktheussen]

Zo herkenbaar 😂

[@EpicsodeOne]

THE NAME OF THE VIDEO! 😄👌

[@RoysRocks]

Haha I was pretty gloomy on this one as I was editing.