Uncut gems - Did I win lose or draw after cutting this rough opal?
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- Опубліковано 26 лис 2023
- This week's video turned out a little different from what I thought it would! We start with a piece of rough opal I got from Lightning Ridge last week that didn't do what I told it to. I was suspicious that it may break into 2 pieces but could not tell for sure until I put it on the wheel, then I saw the line in question, which was in fact a natural sand line going right through the piece. This changed all my plans and thoughts of how this opal would cut.
It made me re-evaluate my costs on the parcel as it concerned me that there may not be any profit made.
After driving 9 hours each way and spending a week out at the mining fields I am hoping I can recover some funds.
Watch the clusterfibble that unfolds and see what I do to make do.
Win, Lose or Draw - Welcome to the World of Opal!
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First bald men are handsome too. And you are very handsome.
The opals are just gorgeous. If I was 20 years younger, I would run away to Australia and try to find somebody who would let me be a student and learn how to cut opals. But alas, my son is 21 and my husband died 10 years ago from a widow maker. But I still would love to spend a week down there and learn the basics. I love your channel Kathy.❤
Hello everyone, I'm Marco from Bellch, a village in Switzerland. I would like to thank you for these great videos. Due to a small medical procedure that forced me to stay at home, I came across you while browsing the internet. Now I check in regularly, and of course I often cut opals in my free time. You planted the virus in me and I'm happy with it. Thank you very much and keep it up, I love you.
"Don't be afraid to make a mistake because that's when we do learn" is the most solid piece of information I've ever heard.
As for me, I’m glad some stones come out small. That’s the only way they get into some of our price point range 😂 Not everyone can buy the larger gems! Keep it up Justin!
Fair enough!
Lol! Ain't it the truth!
Very true.
Flash
I'm exactly on the other side of world, no opal around, never cut a stone in my life, and yet I'm going to be an expert in opal patterns and color facing in a few years :D Thanks J!
stay with it!
@@ThatOpalGuy I would say he lost on those. Very small stones. Too much potch. Very disappointing.
@@PreservationEnthusiast maybe break even, but it is hard to know. what did the parcel cost? how many stones was it? But Justin isnt telling...
haha I love it. 👏
@@ThatOpalGuy Well, sometimes I think he talks up the value of very small stuff too.
Only he knows what he pays and what he actually gets, but it's certainly in his own interest to talk up the market. You never hear an estate agent talking down the value of property for example... they would be cutting their own throats!
That thumb bruise is fairly keeping you honest. No putting up vid's you made months ago. Even the wee stones have beauty and they do mean that less fortunate folk have the chance to own a pretty gem. Regards from Scotland.
lol true
My Dad was a rockhound, gemstones, we used to pack up the caravan and go to meet ups with other members, I have found sapphires & garnets in river beds in South Australia, he turned his glass house into his work area shared with cacti, I was out there every time he was, love your channel, from Bendigo Victoria
Even the best can be played by Mother Nature.
Always a pleasure to watch and listen to a Master at work.
Thank You for the entertainment and education Justin! 👍🏻🍻😎
Many thanks!
Thank you for sharing Justin. It's important for us all to know that the Opal game is an educated gamble! Really relaxed video 'vibe' today. A comfort watch before I sleep aha :)
Glad it was helpful!
Quoting Randy Pausch, _The other thing to remember is that experience comes with time, and it's really, really valuable, and there are no shortcuts to getting it. So, good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement._ In other words, the price to become a true craftsman is your lifetime. You can't share the experience, but the weird joy of getting and using it, regardless of the monetary profit of the outcome. You do a great job here. 🙏
You, sir, are a true master of your craft. I absolutely love watching the stones come to life. Thank you for all you do!
The 2nd stone is coming up beautiful. The 1st stone is little bits that are very lovely too. I enjoy watching you bring out the beauty of opals.
Beautiful gems: vibrant colors, patterns, and soothing/informative presentation. Well done Maestro!
Always excited to see fresh BOD content! Love the colors in that broad flash stone!
I learn so much from watching you cut challenging opals. Thank you for showing that first rough gem even though it was a disappointment.
Glad you enjoyed it!
When you mentioned the unassuming piece showing more promise during the cutting process, my first thought was “you need to watch out for the quiet ones”. In my experience as a pharmacist (32-years experience now), I learn something new every day (I work in hospitals, closely with doctors, residents, nurses, and patients). I think is is important to be open to learning something new. It helps me be better at my job.
I would've guessed wrong! But that's one of the things i love about your videos, you teach us things that are useful even if we never cut opal. The smaller stones are gorgeous. Sad they didnt work out. ❤
I'm so glad! Cathi you are the best
The Good The bad and the ugly. You're one of the most honest blokes I have the pleasure of learning from. Thanks for keeping it real Justin. May His Majesty continue to bless your endeavors sir..
🙏 such kind words ❤️
I simply love those opals that have the blue floaters. They just fascinate me. I saw the broad flash on the larger opal the minute you cut it down to show the color bar still with most of the top on. I love floral pattern. I love all opal! I so wish I could have found you many years ago when I was still working and had money. And my mother...so I could buy her an opal and see her fall in love with it. That would have been the best memory. I'm too old. Too poor. And have no one to leave it to, or I would beg my husband for an opal cut by you Justin. I just pray that whoever does get to have one of your labors of love will treasure it well.
I appreciate that you explain your thought process when you cut. Yes, you can’t go back in time and there is no substitute for experience. However, when you explain your thought process, it is the next best thing.
Thanks for posting the flip side Justin. I don't cut gems, but I appreciate them. I do make pottery, which is a humbling art form. Many of the pieces do not make the grade, and we learn to accept the lessons they teach us. I've always loved opals and I thank you for the insight you give on the process to turn a rock into a gemstone.
Thanks for sharing!
Broad flash and chaff for the big one! All are beautiful 😻. ❤️BOD 😊
You are 1 of the most knowledgeable opal guy I've seen and I always learn something new with each video. Thanks for the knowledge and the skill to share it. Cheers Justin.
Well, I got the "broad flash" right, not sure if "chaff" means little pin pricks of color, but the smaller ones, not...thought they, too, were little broad flashes - thinking of platinum stick pins for a tux shirt, or for a lapel, earrings; and a ring for that largest one. Those happy colors, your work, make a drab day in New England, USA seem not so bad. Beautiful little reminders of how amazing nature is, but how necessary your expertise and experience are in discovering that! Thanks again for a sweet, calming and interesting video, fun (and hopefully profitable) outcome.❤🙋🤗
Nice work and thank you
I think the beauty of opal is you can almost get lost in all the colors. Such a pleasure!
Watching you crawl around with the flashlight does remind me of a trip to a local gem store I took once. I had been looking at a faceted stone and dropped it. We spent probably 20 minutes crawling on the floor with a flashlight trying to find it. Never did, but we did find 5 other stones that had been dropped at some point in the past!
I’m not really great at identifying patterns yet 🤷♀ but my guess is broad flash and flagstone. Love your channel Justin. 🥰❤
Awesome! Thank you!
Totally agree on the gamble. I had 2 pieces over the weekend that I wanted to take the sand out the face..1 was a spectacular fail but the other (n2 green&blue) turned out fantastic after I sliced it and showed orange and yellow in the cut edge 😎
My guess was rolling broad flash on the large stone, but I thought I could watch the video to the end before leaving a guess in the comments 🙈 Anyway, love seing more hard cuts like these as I learn so much more from them than those who are pretty much straight forward. I was curious with you on the last one and thought I would've been so insecure which way to cut it. Not much of a backing from the side that probably had the best colour, hard to know what's best some times. Thank you for another awesome cutting lession 🙏❤️
What a relaxing, informative video Justin.❤ Those little ones are beautiful, the larger oval I was going to say rolling flash, but see now its called broad flash.
Still learning, so I won't get it right every time. I always enjoy your stories of you & your Dear Dad 🙏🏻
He is proud of you I'm sure. Christmas lights are up here in Scotland, Seasons Greetings to you & your family.😻🏴
Glad you enjoyed it! ❤️
@@blackopaldirecthow to reach you in private
I’ve commented before ..this is why I watch, raw opal being carved out.. it’s a crap shoot!
I’m marvelled at what you get, you do you and we’ll be watching!😉
Never having had an opal in my hands. But, as a professional arm chair opal cutter, I think you make it look easy! Love your passion, keep up the good work!
Haha I love this. 🙏
Justin we should all learn from our mistakes and other people's mistakes as well. I'll be the first one to tell you today. Your hair looks nice.
Hi Justin. Watching you cut your stones calms me down. I I’ve got bad depression and anxiety. Thank you love watching! I’m going to start practicing on the pebbles on the driveway ❤👍👍
I’m from Maine,And I love watching you cut miracles..
For all that it broke into two pieces, that first stone (and the two it became) is very, very pretty!
The first Opals are beautiful ! Life is a gamble and hind sight is always 20/20 ¡
that is one of my favs of yours Justin. You are an inspiration in the industry and also as a video creator. Looks so good on screen. The broad-flash looks great and the two small ones are nice too. Nice to see you do such a great job with the cheaper opals and make them look like great gems anyway
The spinning of the final polished stones is a great new addition!
Thank you
I have no knowledge what so ever about opals or gem cutting but I’m learning lol watching u and listening to you talk about them is fascinating! ❤
I love the quiet music, soothing voice and lovely stones. Great video for me.
Glad you enjoyed it
They're all very beautiful Opals ! Thank you for sharing this with me as I really enjoy watching you cut and polish the Opals !
Thank you so much!
@@blackopaldirect You're welcome !
I am addicted to watching you Justin.
I bought my first opal in an engagement ring. Unfortunately I couldn't find an Australian opal so I have an Ethiopian opal. Still pretty, but it's watching your videos that got me hooked.
I have many on my website if you ever want to upgrade one day :-)
They were beautiful Gems! Magnificent colors! We all wish they would be bigger, sometimes Mother Earth has a different plan! Til next time, see you then. 😊
I like that you showed the value of each stone. Thank you.
Nice work as always Justin. Watching your videos started me cutting Aussie opal and watching your videos helps me get better and better as a cutter.
Great work Justin! You are a magician! You CAN make a silk purse out a sow's ear!!👍
Love when you show the stones that don’t work out.
Thank you for this one. I truly enjoyed the reality of this. You are the Man , Mr. Case
Love how you keep it real Justin. Beautiful work
I appreciate that!
Beautiful Opals Justin even the two small ones turned out fantastic ! But, the broad flash bigger piece I wasn’t able to tell the pattern until I saw you move it around then I saw the flash glow brightly through the gorgeous stone! Thank you as always for another wonderful video!
3 beautifully finished stones, great color and polish. Thanks for sharing your time and talent. 😂😷⚒
Thank you! Cheers!
Roger from Norway. I AM A HUGE FAN, Justin
Every episode is special!
Those two little ones are gorgeous.
Justin sporting the outdoors, scruffy look! 🐯
Well you pretty much paid your expense and that all for this time,but there gorgeous stone. I wish you beter luck next time. I still enjoyed seeing you cutting these stone.your the best.i have been watching your show for over a year,and learned so much from you about opal.thank you so much.
hmm not covered expenses for the trip with fuel servicing and accomodation. Plus chips the windscreen and are need new tyres soon. That's just to name a few. it ads up
I so enjoy watching you, in the ups and downs. That was disappointing when that stone broke in two, but it was also interesting seeing all that sand in the middle. And when you finished, I have to say that my favorite was actually that little square gem. Different people, different tastes, right?
1 out of three, I caught the flash…wasn’t familiar with the flower term, even though I’ve seen more of them lately. thankfully, everything’s a learning process ❤. p.s. I was searching for opals I had purchased in Mexico years ago. both cabs, 1 is brownish gold, bubbly in appearance. the 2nd is similar, more even than bubbly. I have no idea what I have. the 3rd is much larger, has some light potch across the mid part. The color dances like an Ethiopian. thank you for sharing your knowledge & art. another hopeless opal lover😊
The purple! Wow
Beautiful gems, Justin.
Your videos are extremely valuable to me. Thank you for your time and talent.
Glad you like them!
A flash 😊 love watching a master at work ❤
Glad you enjoy it!
Beautiful!!
Love cutting pointers. If people took the time to try, they'd get a lot more from their material. Enjoyed the vid.
AWESOME AS ALWAYS. You are a master craftsman
You just made a pair of earrings. Outstanding my friend.
Beautiful, master at work. Thank you 😎😎😎👍👍👍
Beautiful....love the fullcolour spectrum ones the best.....turquoise and purple in there ;]. Thanks for showing them polished and georgeous.
I live on the other side of the world dear Justin but Australia and its opals do fascinate me. When I saw a nice opal the color play within it mesmerized me. I even bought a small pendant here in Sweden when I got some money from my dad way back! It's a little stone but bought in a jewlers shop in town and set in gold. Not a high quality stone at all but I like it and that's the important thing in the end. It's so nice to watch you work Justin and do enjoy watching you so skillfully work your magic on every stone. I got the flowerpatten wrong but I nailed the broad flash 😊😂! Greetings from me to my favorite place and the people there in the land down under👋❤👍! Susanne
Nice. Thank you for always being there. You inspire me to keep going ❤️
STUNNING!!
You are!
Another job well done. Nice job 😊
That royal purple is so beautiful.
Opal GemStones are Amazing Beauty 😍❤🎉😊
I would've bought these little pieces anyway and order a silver lining on em to make these into a beautiful asymmetrical earrings... This color is so majestic
Thank you, Justin, for sharing your craft, I absolutely adore opal, but would never be able to buy any; and your life lessons are so great and somehow personal for me... 🤍
I enjoyed the new way you present the finished gems. Very artistic!
Thank you very much!
Amazing, the best video... great, god bless you.. Greeting From Indonesian Traditional Gold Prospecting 🇮🇩🇧🇩🙏🌼🌸👍👍
Thank you 🙏
Nice to see the true reality of the Opal industry shown. Lots of up and down more downs but look out when it makes a mistake keep up the good work enjoy your videos
I’m no expert but love watching your videos and I can see what a huge gamble some of these stones could be for you so guess it’s take the good with the bad but I’ll keep watching as it’s interesting
Thanks for posting 😊
Nice video Justin!
Gorgeous stones!
Thank you! Cheers!
There is something hypnotic about looking into an Opal at least for me......Thanks Justin 🤟 👍
Shoe🇺🇸
Excellent learning experience for us, thank you. edit: I liked the little rectangle
nice thank you for sharing the adventure and information
Last stone Broadflash. Pity you couldn't cut a pair from the first, Ruth loves making ear rings, and they would of been beauties. Nevertheless, they are all wonderful gems, and it was good to see the other end of your life, the challenges that opal cutting brings. Thanks Justin, you are always a winner with us!. Thanks Black Opal DIrect for another great video, informative and interesting, maybe we will get a robot dance video soon...... until next week......
Hahah robot 🤣
Thanks again, BOD, for your time making these videos. Greetings from Dimboola, in Victoria.
Thank you Nancy
Cold and snowy here in central Illinois! I’m sure it must be warming up there! 👋🏻
@@christinechildress5021 Hi christine. To tell the truth, freezing our butts off here. Totally unexpected. 2 inches of rain in one day. LOL. I'll be complaining because it's 42 degrees C next! 🤣
All three were so very beautiful.
Thank you! 😊
changed my mind after you finished it. Ribbon!
I think it is showing broad flash. love watching these videos.
I love watching your videos. Such beautiful stones, little or big they are all so pretty 😍. I fell in love with opals when I was 5, lol, more than 40 years ago.
Thank you so much!
those stones sure polished up nice.
You are a craftsman justin...
I try to guess how youre going to get the best stone,and how...sometimes im right, and others wrong...But its just fantastic viewing eitger way...
I actually think I could have a good go at your craft though and thats how good you are ...So informative and so well done ,that you can't help but learning...
Keep the Gems coming ,good or bad ,and dont change it ...
Beautiful stones...
Thank you! Cheers!
I would give anything to have the cushion cut in set in a ring that stone is gorgeous
You did OK. Any day you come home with color is a good day.
True that
I totally get it. I carve fire agate. You never really now what you have until you dig into it. And ive dropped stones i have never found i felt the anxiety with you. Glad you found it.
😂 there is a few in my workshop unaccounted for
thanks for another great lesson! it looks like Ruth has a couple stones to play with.
Ultimately you are constrained to what the opal will let you cut, but you make a great decision on that last opal.
They all turned out splendidly, but maybe not entirely profitable.
My guess was going to be broadflash and ribbon.
Haha yes she has but im not giving them to her 🤣
🤣@@blackopaldirect
Happy Birthday 🎉
I have really enjoyed your channel for some time, thank you for your great skill in revealing some of natures most astonishing gems and with such grace and humour. Bit hard to say on the pattern, but I would guess at broad flash and flagstone. I do love a good crystal though, both sides polished and colour on colour. I have fantasy shopped on your website so many times!
Right on the money
I'm in South Africa, I think thats Flagstone with Broadflash not sure though, but I love your videos & literally can't wait for your new upload on Tuesdays, unfortunately I usually miss the live cutting session but do watch it later.. I'm pretty sure I go into withdrawal if you don't upload a new video every week, I've never worked with gemstones of any kind but would love to be able to afford one of your pieces one day, I think Opal is an exciting gemstone.