Opal cutting: make the most from your chips: buying tips for beginners.

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all well! Well this was going to be another quick cut, but I thought I’d take the opportunity to show how small stones/chips can turn into little gems. For those new to opal cutting and buying rough, I’ve tried to share some of my experience/logic and hope you find it somewhat useful. Even just as a hobby, opal cutting can be heart breaking, exciting and rewarding, just remember to enjoy the adventure! Thanks for your time.

[@ROCKINWHEELERS]

I have a lot of Opal Chips and will now WATCH THE MASTER ON HOW TO MAKE OPAL INLAYS. YOU ARE JUST AMAZINGLY AMAZING PHIL/OPAL MILLS!!!

[@petersolstad673]

AMERICA LOVES OPAL MILLS!!! I'm from Utah, just nearly starting out in the hobby. Videos like this are a great thing for people like me. Loving it! Great information thanx

[@theopalmills]

Ty, 🤪👍

[@prospectvic]

Plain simple english for us newbies, love the tutorial, subscribed, great effort and reaching out to us to learn

[@petersolstad673]

I subbed on this vid, first one I watched to.

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Beautiful work, I dream of visiting Andamooka!

[@elishadoyle8191]

Cheers for the advice

[@jeffholmes1362]

Great video, nice stones. I’m still learning to cut on low grade, have a few nice stones in the bank for later, I’m cutting for fun, not sure anyone would want to buy them, but I like them 😀

[@annsalter4366]

Better than a scratchy ticket .. these you can enjoy scratching and also get to keep... brilliant advice ..enjoy watching and learning

[@drfill9210]

Great vid! Just fyi I like the clear ones I cut, considering faceting them ..

[@andreameigs1261]

Disposable chopsticks make useful prong and bezel pushers and won't mar the metal or scratch the stone if you slip. I've slipped on a few bezels, luckily on hard stones that weren't scratched by the steel pushers I was using, but it still mars the metal. You can also push 30g fine silver bezel wire with pencil eraser, believe it or not, though there is some grit in the pink ones which needs to be considered, but I suspect that you could do the same with a pure rubber eraser. Anyway, I have always been too afraid to use steel setting tools with opals, but the wood gets the job done.

[@theopalmills]

G’day Andrea, you make a very good point, a hardwood could still work the silver yet lower the risk to the opal, I’ll see what I can come up with. 🤪👍

[@deanbristow4596]

Thanks for your comments and advice .

[@queenmab1999]

Thankyou!!!! This is exactly what id like to try doing myself! Not so much looking to sell. However i love giving gifts! lol If I got lucky i might sell one. But I just love the journey! The creativity... and ive always loved pretty rocks! I have a few rocks already, not opal, my favorite one is a geode. Id also love to learn about how to drill the different types of stones. Because of my metal allergy i mostly use leather to make my jewelry. And I make polymer clay "stones" and mount them on plastic earing posts. hehehe they are pretty but id love some real stones I made myself, so i can show them off lol TIME is something I have. Money not so much.

[@ExpertOfFX]

You mate are spot on!

[@craigbradley5744]

Mate, I just wanted to say you have a unique way about the way you sound in these videos . You sound like a close mate, we're on an opal adventure with. It's weird but it's like theres a bond there simply because you talk like your in a conversation with a friend. That in turn makes people want to listen. I love your channel. I too am just starting out and live relatively close to boulder opal country. When i get some I'll send you down a few decent bits so you can appreciate Coober Pedy and Andamooka opal even more. Stay safe and healthy ol mate, I've got a lot more to learn from you, Thank you

[@theopalmills]

My pleasure, and thankyou, I do try to talk as if I’m actually talking with you all, uninterrupted of course 🤣, and appreciate being able to talk opal with others who are actually interested, in comments and emails.thanks again, Phil 🤪👍

[@deerwithnoeyes1417]

With you doing your own silversmithing I’m guessing you could give it a blackened silver back in a ring or pendant settings to help with the colour. But I’m guessing you have done this before. Thanks for the information once again looking forward to the website.👍

[@theopalmills]

Yes that’s quite possible, though I’d let someone else do that, excepting the treating of matrix I don’t want to enhance the opal beyond cutting and giving it a suitable st/silver setting, even blackening the backdrop is considered a form of doublet and I’ll only cut and set true solid stones. 🤪👍

[@theresabetaway7775]

Hello ive just subscibed to your channel ,Gave me that umph to get upstairs and back on the wheels ,Thankyou great video motivational 👍

[@datrooster4112]

Nice vid, new subscriber been binge watching your channel. When your site is up or when you got rough for sale hit me up. I DEFINITELY got the addiction lol. Interested in small stones or single stone sales. Keep up the great vids

[@jeffholmes1362]

If you go to Andamooka keep me in mind for beginners or a little better friendly parcel

[@murf1201]

Can you make decent money just rubbing and selling rubs. I don't have the talent or Experience yet to cut to gem quality but enjoy the process of working with Opal. Thanks just found your channel loved this video

[@theopalmills]

G’day Murf, it’s kind of subjective, access to material, ability to consistently purchase profitable material, enough experience to know what a cutter requires from a rub, ie orientation, little waste, ability to profit, and, afford to kickstart yourself financially. To recognise material in the rough that has great potential, then turning rough into rub to remove all doubt of its ability to cut a great stone so you can charge a premium. Basically you’re taking on, and (hopefully) removing, the risk factors associated to rough opal, on behalf of cutters looking for a sure cut. So I’d say yes decent money can* be made if you make the right decisions, have access to sell, and bear in mind others need to make their profit when pricing your rubs. *not a guarantee 🤣👍

[@murf1201]

@@theopalmills cheers for that. love the channel and appreciate you taking the time to reply .great advice there. thanks again

[@samkellam6051]

Hiya thanks for the honest info in the videos am really enjoying them :) I have to ask if there is a way to protect your poor nails I know it must be hard on such a wide wheel but there has got to be a way that doesnt involve stripping your fingers to nubs?

[@theopalmills]

I should probably trim them better 🤣🤣, I have a bad habit of very lightly resting my fingers and nails against the wheel for more control cutting the smaller stones.

[@tr4pwolf326]

Awesome video bro got a new follower haha lmk if you need any help minning :)

[@theopalmills]

🤪👍

[@grant.0]

Where do you buy your opal from? I find it hard to get good prices on ebay or opal auctions for low grade dark, or crystal opal. Also shipping is sometimes 1/4 of the price.

[@theopalmills]

It all depends on your budget, there’s Black opal direct blackopaldirect.com/, or try Opal shop Australia opalshop.com.au/ they have something for every budget and multiple fields, Lightning ridge, Coober pedy, QLD Boulder opal. 🤪👍

[@grant.0]

Thanks!

[@jeffholmes1362]

Sooo close to 100 subs, well done. Do you have a private message, I see your not on face book under the opal mills?

[@theopalmills]

Thankyou, when the web site starts up I’ll create a fb page, but my main form of initial contact is [e-mail] 🤪👍

[@jeffholmes1362]

@@theopalmills messaged you

[@fanton777doy9]

IT'S A SPECIAL COLOR PINK IN THE CRISTAL IS RARE ❓

[@theopalmills]

I like seeing pink in opal, but not sure if it an optical illusion from a combination of colours most of the time. 🤪👍