How To Cut And Polish Opal Gemstones By Hand by blackopaldirect.com

[@reneebarnaby1699]

Thank you for posting this video Justin! I have been making simple jewelry for a little while now, probably 4 years. I mostly do bead work necklaces bracelets earrings and stuff like that. I'm self-taught and it's just easy stuff but it's a fun hobby. After I saw this video, I got so inspired that I went to a local gem shop and bought some low grade mostly blue potch, Australian opal with a few flashes of color. Then I bought a small cheap polishing machine and all the supplies I would need to do my own. I used your method and was able to make a pair of shiny blue earrings set in silver. I don't know how to send a picture of what I made but I wish I could show you what you inspired me to do as a first-timer. I love it so much I see myself doing this as a hobby! Thank you so much Justin, you have brought a whole new world of richness into my life and I always look forward to watching your videos! I only wish I knew when I could watch live so I could comment and talk to the others as you're cutting gems. Warmest regards from BC Canada, Renée Barnaby

[@kink4y0u43]

Woaahh talk about OBSESSED! Do you DREAM about gems too?

[@greenerell484]

@@kink4y0u43 don't be rude

[@Kopie0830]

Nice message and gesture mate! This video saved me an arm and leg as well. To think I can shape opal like these without buying those expensive tools! I live in New Zealand and polish rocks as well.

[@kink4y0u43]

@@Kopie0830 Stop polishing rocks and start playing Super Mario Bros me ladz! Polishing rocks is for Argonians!

[@kiki_savage]

I think you could probably make a Pin with the picture of what you made (if you had a blog you could link to a blogpost something like "My first DIY Opal Earrings" and you could either do a step by step of the process and link this video in a sentence such as "This video showed me how to cut my own opals by hand. Or even a Pin titled How I learned to Cut Opals by hand for these earrings" and a direct link to this video. Lots of possibilities to showcase your work and give props...

[@Felix111ize]

I'm a beginner and that's definitely the cheapest way of cutting opals I've seen. Love it a lot. Thanks for this video.

[@CoffeeCupVT]

Oh, this was wonderful! I had no idea it was possible to transform opal from its original form into a truly beautiful piece. I adore opals (they're my birthstone), but have only one, as here in the States, they're pricey. Suddenly - as a retiree on a fixed income - you've given me a hobby that's inexpensive, fun, and gives me greater access to my favorite gemstome! Thank you so much for sharing this knowledge with the world.

[@blackopaldirect]

Well thats awesome I am glad I can help. :-) you can also buy starter packs on my website to get you learning about cutting rough opal. www.blackopaldirect.com

[@kevinwands6422]

@@blackopaldirect 4

[@dnbwu83h82wn28unbinb]

@@blackopaldirect Thanks for the link! I'm going to go check it out now.

[@s.magdaleno4124]

​@@blackopaldirectLove it! I'll check it out too woohoo

[@Harlow_Khmer]

@@blackopaldirect still available?

[@shawnstatzer95]

I did my first Australian black opals today because of you. Thank you. True gemstones are not from rock but from people like you.

[@canna-haze1685]

Thank you. I saw this, tried it on a small opal and got good results.. so for now i dont have to buy expensive to me machines. good stuff to pass the long winter hours stuck in the house. and i can do it while watching a movie.. 2 thumbs up..

[@blackopaldirect]

That is awesome well done. I'd love to see your results of your cutting

[@blackopaldirect]

Cherry Oxblood awesome glad you enjoyed 😊

[@sameermalik-bg7sk]

Can someone give me names of all the tools and solutions Justin used to polish the Opa? I didn't get accent Unfortunately!

[@elund408]

@@sameermalik-bg7sk carborundum sharpening stone. wet or dry sandpaper 400 800 1000 1200 grits towel, leather, cerium oxide. water. Dop stick and jewelers or doping wax.

[@sameermalik-bg7sk]

@@elund408 Thanks alot Eric. If I polish an opal I ll send like to you the pics. 😊

[@notomatoesbbq]

Hey Justin, another great video! Just a quick tip for you when doing it with this method. You should really soak both the sand paper and sharpening stone in water for at least a few hours and preferably overnight. This will help keep the stone lubricated and not require constant spritzing and make the paper more supple and easier to work with. Cheers!

[@blackopaldirect]

+whiskeyboy Nice thanks for the tip :-)

[@ShengTheCraftsman]

this is true, back where i work they love water sanding, things comes out less rough and less wear on the sandpaper or whatever you are using to sand the stuff you want to sand or polish.

[@fundays991]

whiskeyboy can u tell what is this square one which he used for rubbing the stone for the first time in the video, i mean the square one i am talking

[@fundays991]

Black Opal Direct tell me what is that rectangle shaped in this video which u used for the very first time to rub the opal

[@carissakinney3356]

neha malhotra the rectangular object is a whetstone.

[@pezzottaitemeh8616]

hey! I just wanted to say thank you for posting this video! I just used this tutorial to recut a broken coober pedy opal I was gifted! the results were phenomenal!

[@Jillloveszumba]

Absolutely a first-rate teacher! So much fun to watch. It gave me a new appreciation for gemstones.

[@blackopaldirect]

Thank you 🙏

[@Kopie0830]

You saved me a lot of money mate, as I can now polish my opals without those expensive machines! Cheers from Australia!

[@infowarscouk]

As a newbie at cutting, distinguishing and understanding colour and shaping opals, I have watched countless clips, now I finally feel confident to havd a go and try get something other than pile of sand and bits. I will be doing all by hand so should be done in a month of Sundays

[@SueMead]

I'm not surprised to see such results. I mean, one just has to consider the fabulous stones in antique items pre-electricity such as those worn by the various royals that preceeded Queen Elizabeth the first, right up to Victoria, to know that such phenomenal cuts were achieved through similar techniques. And that's just the English. We could go back considerably further to see phenomenal work from Scandinavian, Egyptian, Oriential and Grecian royal houses (etc.,) to see precious gems formed into extraordinary pieces.

[@localatina21]

Justin , Ive been watching your videos for years ! During this latest lockdown i have taken up opal jewelry making and your videos are my life line to keeping me sane , Thank you so much for being so detailed.

[@blackopaldirect]

Welcome Steph

[@tijhuisjoeri]

I am not (yet) a opal cutter, but I am a knife enthousiast. When we use a wet stones it’s recommended to soak the wet stone for about 15 minutes so it can’t damange the knife. I think it would be good for opal aswell but thats just a thought.

[@infowarscouk]

Club fingers hit send before finishing, thank you for your input great to see your son have interest, happy cutting and lucky finds to all

[@greyeaglem]

Thank you! Thank you! I used your polishing technique on my antique art deco opal that was very cloudy. After just 5 minutes it has a shine again! I will work on it more when I have the time, but the cerium oxide just came and I had to try it. No jeweler was willing to polish the stone. They were afraid to remove it from the ring. The ring has prongs, but I used a thin piece of leather and put my fingers behind it so it polished fairly well around the prongs too. I don't know how to thank you. It's a very nice opal but was so dull the color couldn't shine through. Now it gorgeous again!

[@LisaMattison]

God Bless you I can't imagine the time that took you other than forever! Thank you for all you do you are my hero😊

[@jogonzalez3562]

Thank you, Justin, for this. People like me who want to do things with opals, or any type of gems and don't have the money or space for machines can do things like this by hand.

[@marvinjames5141]

It sure does get me going Justin. I never would have even considered such a technique. Again, thanks.

[@aropals672]

I very much want to start cutting and polishing Opel. Guess it's like you say "Opel fever" but also close to retirement and want a hobby that I can do inside. I think if I can do a few pieces like this by hand it might be enough to get the Nova machines. Love working with my hands but I really think I'd enjoy the machine better and would really like to set up a small workshop in a space I have. Thanks Justin I really appreciate your knowledge and the fact that you share it. It's priceless!!

[@sxruthxbl7820]

Hi Justin, I am very new to opal cutting and I find your videos extremely helpful. Thankyou so much for taking the time to put these videos together.

[@blackopaldirect]

Welcome :-)

[@resstaff3135]

thank you, your the best giving various tips about opals. certainly a 5 star rating. would enjoy seeing you set the opal in a gold metal setting-pendant, ring, etc, using bezel, prongs, etc... that would be so enjoyable.

[@blackopaldirect]

Res Staff thank you for the kind words. Unfortunately I’m not a jeweller. I’m just know a lot about opal 😊

[@johnnykerley4791]

I taught myself this technique by accident. It works very well for opal, it takes longer when polishing harder stones up to 6 mohs. I'm glad to see I got it correct.

[@acash93]

That is a beautiful opal to begin with.

[@ScreenJunkie0]

No cheap

[@garyvandeputte4047]

Thank you for this video. I am going to try it for my self. You may have saved me from being 79 retired and bored to death.

[@MrDaelus]

Mate! I’m so SO glad I discovered your channel. I’m a creative person and was trying to discover a new hobby to sink me creative teeth into. And to state the obvious, it’s now opals. You have became my mentor and boy do you know your stuff. Always learning, always fun watching and listening to you ( your so funny, and I’m sure your family is embarrassed at time 😅) More comments to come, guaranteed ✌️

[@StephenBevilacqua]

Hello Justin, I love all your video's and you have tough me a lot and I thank you so much for that, I'm an October man and without knowing that was my birth stone until a few years ago and I'm sixty can you imagine that, I have been obsessed with opals for as far back as I can remember, anyway My girlfriend was born the same month and last year I bought her a beautiful Ethiopian opal ring sterling silver, well I have taught myself a lot about them reading and watching all your video's and even made my own cutting, grinding, and polishing machines, I bought the ring on ebay, the fellow had a video of the ring showed it close up and moved it around and everything and I can tell 90% of the time if there not real, this stone looked amazing and a nice size too, I received it tested the silver it was 9.25 like he said the stone was more amazing in person and the back of the stone was not covered and looked the same from both sides, well she put it on and hasn't taken it off since last Christmas OK last mouth I had tightened the prongs cause it was a little loose still we looked at it and said wow this was such a good deal we will never find another one this nice for such a good price, this is where it gets strange Three weeks had passed and I went to pick her up at work in the truck she told me the color has gone out of the stone, it looks like a jelly opal with no colors at all and you would be able to see these colors across a room if the light hit it so now I have a clear yellow stone, can you make sense of this Justin? I can't figure it out, thank you for reading all this. Stephen.B

[@GAMEOVER-hy6xs]

I am going to be buying some rough opal and applying these techniques to cut a few down to size to inlay into a ring I'm going to be melting down from some of my silver. adding about 10% copper by weight of course to deter the brittleness of pure silver. This video is an awesome reference! I'm still debating on whether I want to make a cabochon cut and set it into the ring, or cut the opal into small bits and inlay them. or whether the ring will come out well at all haha

[@blackopaldirect]

Haha sounds like an adventure

[@choochoochucky]

great to see it done this way. Thank you Justin. I have been doing hundreds of stones this way only just beginning to try 4 inch combo unit. but still love doing it the so called long way. Thanks for video. I polish on a stretched piece of denim with cerium also polishes nice.

[@blackopaldirect]

+che hennessy NIce good to know and thanks for the kind words

[@choochoochucky]

+Black Opal Direct your welcome. keep up the great work. learnt so much from your videos.

[@kkirschkk]

+Black Opal Direct so I would love to get in to this, so what gemstones would you say I should start on [ and most likely destroy ] and where can I buy enough rough gemstones to learn

[@blackopaldirect]

+MooseALot Hi Moose You can start here blackopaldirect.com/buy-opal/product-category/rough-opal/rough-opal-parcels/ Their are some beginner parcels to buy on my site

[@blackopaldirect]

+MooseALot Hi Moose You can start here blackopaldirect.com/buy-opal/product-category/rough-opal/rough-opal-parcels/ Their are some beginner parcels to buy on my site

[@michellesgarden5695]

Just found your channel and subscribed. I really enjoyed this video. Its something I could do at the table at night without lots of noise annoying everyone

[@blackopaldirect]

Welcome aboard! and you could soo do that.

[@stefanpremdas2074]

wow! this takes lapidary, back to the basics, creating a totally hand crafted piece from start to finish, elevating each piece to the status of timeless art. I have to try this :)

[@johnnykerley4791]

I never even knew this technique, or that it had a name. But I use this very same technique to cut and polish Oregon Sunstone rough into gems. I can't afford the machines, so I thought to use knife stones of various grit as well as wet / dry sand paper, from 800 grit to 5000 grit. It takes about 6 to 10 hours to cut and polish each stone, sometimes a little longer depending on the size, hardness a shape I'm going for.

[@TheCelticGoldsmith]

Thanks for the demo. I have to adjust a cab myself. I hope I don’t break it.

[@spaztic1]

Thanks so much for showing this...I live in Las Vegas, NV...everything is shut down, i do not have lapidary equipment. So this is something I can manage till everything opens up and folks realize the crazyness..

[@karolinamura]

Looking at You doing this was very satisfying. Your talent is bringing this stone to it's beautiest state possible. Fantastic

[@badomaji]

Really liked this video. Felt like I learned something that I could do by myself.

[@lovedadognamedpaco384]

Justin, What a great video! I had no idea that the sharpening stone was made out of corundum. I have a few stones from the Crater of Diamonds in Murphysboro, Arkansas I've been meaning to do a scratch test on, but had no idea where I was going to come up with a piece of corundum. I learned so much from you in such a short video. Thanks so much! I really love Opals ( my mom's birthstone) they are by far my favorite gem even though I have none. One day I would love to order some. I would really enjoy mining for them in Australia. That would be an adventure. If you are ever in the US in Louisiana make sure you come to Jazz Fest. Thanks again! I look forward to more of your videos.videos! Yaya!

[@donvaledon1]

Thanks! I might try that process and see how it comes out!

[@eerielconstantine5051]

Just getting my tools set up for polishing some Ethiopian rough (can’t afford the nice Australian rough yet) and I live in suburban Texas, where it’s tough to find the machines that help you cabochon for a decent price, so this’ll be a perfect method to try!

[@foxgirlontherun]

Thank you for this! One of my amazing friends gifted me some beautiful unpolished opals to make jewelry with them but I was so lost as to where to start.

[@cathifamjourney469]

Hey if you loose power and get bored, you can still cut n polish opal!! Another great video Justin

[@blackopaldirect]

exactly. Thanks for the comment

[@sawdustbob6508]

I think your little wedgie is beautiful! The size/proportions and colors there in are as nice ad could be. Really, what the hell would you change?!? As a recording engineer, I had the pleasure of working with Bill Withers. A saying he used referring to a great performance that a musician thought could be better; “It’s like trying to chrome plate some sterling silver.” Your wedgie is just fine. I have enjoyed your shows/classes for sometime now. Thank you for them. Sawdust B-bob r2t2 Merritt Recording Engineer, Record Plant, Los Angeles.

[@lesterpettigrew3921]

Thank you so much!!! I am super excited to try this with a few rough opals i have. THANKS AGAIN!

[@blackopaldirect]

Lester Pettigrew awesome enjoy and show me how you do

[@Azuracolour]

That finished product is AMAZING. Wow, going to try this!

[@aaaha57]

Thanks a lot. You are so lucky working with the most beautiful stones.

[@sharxbyte]

I'm actually using this to repair an opal. Going to sand both halves a bit and place a thin piece of silver between the two before resetting the cab. Thanks!

[@blackopaldirect]

Awesome Id love to see it

[@sharxbyte]

Here: sharxbyte.deviantart.com/art/20170325-152139-671759667

[@blackopaldirect]

Very nicely done :-)

[@sharxbyte]

Black Opal Direct thanks!

[@TinFoilHatx]

Gonna have to try this one day, love opals.

[@batakrishnabariki7374]

S dey

[@whodatdude3653]

Anyone know what grit knife sharpener he used?

[@tlcarroll92]

Thank you for the video and instructions! I've managed to get some great results from some rough Australian opal that I purchased using this method. The videos on your channel are fantastic, keep up the great work!

[@blackopaldirect]

Thank you

[@Phoenix_Enterprises]

Love it! This is how I learned to cut stones. Spit and sandpaper. lol Thanks for sharing!

[@blackopaldirect]

You are so welcome

[@johnenglish1710]

That was very satisfying to watch. Thanks

[@daledellatorre2520]

Wow. This is awesome and really makes me want to give it a go. How would someone go about getting knobbies ?

[@MusicalMarzy]

This stone on the final stage is hypnotic,such beauty

[@moneobe]

thank you very much for your videos showing your profession! I love it!

[@blackopaldirect]

Thank you I appreciate your kind words

[@refulgir2127]

Also, do you know if it would be possible to carve the opal into some shape? I am curious about the possibility of making little opal sculptures.

[@Johnbro8]

Thanks Justin for taking your time, it’s certainly the process I will use,as I haven’t got any equipment 👍

[@allyouneedisluv53]

How would charcoal toothpaste work as a polish do you think? Thanks for all your shows Beautiful stuff.

[@prodigalsun1678]

So about how long would you say the entire polishing process from sandpaper-cerium oxide/leather took?

[@adamgc73]

Thankyou sooooo much for posting this great video...finally I can clean my roughs up that i bought at lightning ridge a few years ago ...i know what ill be doing on my days off coming up ...thanks again for posting

[@blackopaldirect]

adamgc73 Ahah welcome I'm glad you will be busy on your days off playing :-)

[@sameermalik-bg7sk]

Can someone tell me names of all the tools and solution that Justin Used to polish the stones?

[@lancer2204]

Just a tip for the leather, get veg tanned leather and use the flesh side (shave or sand it down so it is smooth), it will load up with oxide nicely. (I make strops for razors this way)

[@amandadonegan2137]

Absolutely stunning. Again! ❤

[@blackopaldirect]

Thank you so much!

[@amberdawn5756]

So did he start with the rough side or smoother side of the sharpening block?

[@gsellis]

That is actually cool. A small kit to play with something while stuck in another city or hotel room fighting boredom. Stone Tes is like this for faceted stones.

[@srp1196]

Firstly, your videos are awsome. We can see how a rough opal can turn to a gemstone. Secondly, how much does it costs by its rough shape and where can I buy rough opal online? Thanks again for your videos

[@oxennguyen3148]

Best to cut manual like what you are doing, because opal are very soft, save from wasting. "Kiss" is very useful. Thanks for posting.

[@ashtonpitzele4686]

Hi Justin! I was wondering if you could tell me what grit the sharpening stone you used is, as well as where I may find one made of corundum such as this. I am looking online and I cannot seem to find anything similar

[@michaelolson9881]

Do you have an estimated total time working on the stone to get it to your highly polished stone?

[@francescosisto7131]

I used to do Stained glass project and still have a wet grinder, could be that used to polish stones?

[@BennaVonArchimboldi]

This looks very helpful! I just inherited 50 or so rough opals my grandpa mined in Japan 50 years ago. Would you mind writing down the items needed in the description of the video? English is not my first language and I'm having some problems picking the names by audio only. Very much appreciated!

[@BennaVonArchimboldi]

Very much appreciated! Any alternative names to the dop stick?

[@nicholasyeomans1527]

Does anyone know where I can get this wax from that he's using to stick the opal on the stick? Thanks

[@blackopaldirect]

you can buy it here blackopaldirect.com/product/lapidary-tools-guides/green-dopping-wax-for-opal-cutting-approx-5-inches/

[@claudialung6195]

Thank you Justin. I will certainly try it

[@einsteindrieu]

Great Video - This is just what I wanted you to do . Thank you Justin .

[@loismeyer6341]

I am learning so much from your videos. You are a very good teacher. I live in Arizona, USA. If you had classes here I would sign up. I want to buy the Cerium Oxide. I see many brand which should I use. Or should I just but the syringe of diamond paste. Is Cerium Oxide the same grid as the 50,000 diamond paste. Also, what speed do you set your Dremel to. Thanks again for showing us how to polish and carve opals.

[@blackopaldirect]

Any cerium will do. You can buy it on eBay if you can’t find

[@leahannwhite1111]

Awesome video! Thank you💖🌠

[@blackopaldirect]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lockwoowanimations4765]

i have a question how would you go about removing rock around mexican fire opal with out a jewlers set up

[@einsteindrieu]

Nice work Black Opal Direct !

[@Consciousparty]

How much does an Opal like this one cost before and value after polished? What type of Opal is this one? It’s beautiful 🤩

[@coreymerrill3257]

I dont know how i kept missing this. Very cool and great to know. Can the dobstick be chucked into a drill or speed adjustable rotary tool? (Good or bad,Dremel is the most famous brand ) just how small of a stone can be cut?

[@johncarter9399]

If you keep a small chamfer on the edges, that should prevent chipping.

[@edgar-j6h]

i have a white opal with a lot of pin colours. about 3/4 of an ounce ina jar with water. how do i cut it into small slabs to make cabs without using electrical machinery?

[@Jojo-ne8fy]

Oh I thought you had to ise wet and dry when buffing. Is this the case? Tia 🙏

[@sraimpex4510]

hi justin grate video..... what is the polish powder name plz.???

[@lilataylor5872]

Wonderful video, thank you so much I love this channel! Would you recommend this technique for Mexican cantera opal, or would there be a chance the cerium oxide would get lodged in the pores of the rhyolite matrix and be difficult to remove? I am a mineral collector but have never polished gems before. thank you :)

[@blackopaldirect]

Yes this will work on any silica based material :-) Thank you for the love

[@billiumward]

You lovely fella. You are a gem yourself mate. Good onya.!

[@josephryanmabaquiao4825]

what powders or alternatives i can use to use polishing stones?

[@X3r0.]

Definitely will be trying this myself !

[@samsudinibrahim5409]

jastin you did it just like how we do it back home with Aget and other nice rocks thangs man

[@brittanywitt640]

What are the grits on the corundum block you used? I'm thinking of getting one that has 240 on one side, 800 in the other and just using the 280 side for the first step to shape. Because I'm also getting wet/dry sandpaper from 400-3000 grit, then cerium oxide + leather strip for final polish. I'm using rough opal and plan on keeping them rough but just polishing up the face to use for rough opal rings. Thanks! love your videos!

[@Faisal1979nasser]

I wish learn cut and carve and polish all kind of gemstones ,, can you help me how I started?

[@TheArtisanTouch]

Find myself doing this a lot lol I like doing it this way.

[@my_vid_mich5988]

What grit is your sanding block? Also is the leather you are using just any old strip of leather and color? could I use an old belt or something?

[@teekotrain6845]

I got my first opal on ebay bc of your videos. Can't wait. I'm officially hooked on your channel....and always have been on opals

[@jameswelch1054]

I did not see any starter packs on your web site?

[@NaomiNunya]

Thank you for this video, just what I needed so I can play with my roughs

[@blackopaldirect]

Perfect Naomi glad to have helped

[@dosv2058]

Hi, this is a great video! I just wanted to ask you what wax are you using? Is it just a regular jewelry wax? Thanks a lot.

[@hickory1960]

+Do S i want to know that also what wax tool is that

[@arturocuellar8262]

microcristaline wax

[@davidhuber9418]

God Bless you Justin and Than you!

[@Poppageno]

Hi, I have some lava rock samples with opal in them. How do I get it out without breaking the opals?

[@bootyacdrident1801]

+black opal direct will the sandpaper work to file down rubies or will I have to get diomond grit paper.

[@mrgreeneggs6191]

sweet think ill show this to my 6 yr old son.... ive a bucket of cooper pedy rough for him to practice on :)

[@rosievelyn]

Rocks have always fascinated me :) I’m really excited about the beginners parcel, collecting the list of items I’d need. What grades were the sharpening stone?