Nice 🙂 I’ve resisted treating any form of matrix opal because most videos show treatment taking 4-5 days. I might try it now that I’ve seen the results you’ve gotten after a day. I think you should leave that big one as a nice pendant stone and try your hand at bezel setting it
@@OpalOdyssey-ew9gr you can get the bezel strips in 5-6mm that look great on them. Just make sure it’s 28 gauge. It’s a handy tool to have in your opal belt 🙂
Great results, especially for your first time. Tweak your process until you get comfortable with it. That one that is lightly treated may not get much darker, but worth putting through another treatment. 🤪👍
😂 me again... I've really been reading and watching videos about treating opal. They all say cut your stones first. You'll cut the black off when cutting now, but you can always retreat. It sure is beautiful. I've studied how opal is created and why it reacts like it does. You could never close the openings in a opal unless you treated it with something that gets hard like liquid super glue...they are always open and can absorb, even the oils on your fingers. Best part is you can retreat this opal again... Let it completely dry after cutting, don't add heat... I'm surprised it didn't pop or crackle...it could when you start cutting it... I hope you show the cutting video with that treated opal
Dude, I was surprised to see you hit the opal with a heat gun. Water can vaporize with just light without heat and with heat the water expands.. I'm surprised they didn't start cracking or even popping in half.... thinking you could have more carbon now... Anyway, I'm planning on doing this myself... Does this work with common opal that doesn't have color?
All opal exhaust water... that's why they stick to your tongue. The sugar will burn out in the acid and leave the black carbon. That's why I was confused when I heard you say you'd already had them/some in water before the sugar bath .. and it can all be ground away, unless it gets really deep... It's like a sponge because it has open spaces between the circular Crystal structures, that's where the sugar goes and all opal it made this way. (Circular Crystal structures) Yours looks great. I hope you didn't think I was disrespecting you because I would never intentionally do that... I just heard you, maybe you misspoke. I see your reply though. Sugar and acid treatment is one of the most commonly used methods to enhance opal. In the trade, this treatment is usually applied to matrix opal from Andamooka, Australia, a particularly porous material, but works on any opal. I see where it has "usually"... It's because it works so well. I've watched people soak the opal for days in sugar water before the acid bath and you can't leave it too long. The only thing affected by the acid is the sugar, leaving carbon, which is black.
@@AlabamaUSA1234 not entirely correct, all opal is made up of partly water, true. But not all opal is Porous enough to take water in. Hydrophane opal will, non hydrophane opal does not take on liquid water. It can absorb moisture in gas form and its relative water % can be higher or lower based on outside conditions. But not all opal will absorb liquid water, not even all Matrix opal will. Often parts of the same opal will and other parts wont.
I think you should make a little mini axe with the peace like an ax either with the wood handle or maybe a little petrified wood piece handle. Like the Indians used to make their axes
Truly not telling you how to work your opal. I hear you now talking about treating because some didn't do so well... I believe it was the water inside before the sugar... The sugar turns to carbon, no sugar no black.... I'd wash those, let dry in the sun for a few hours and put it back into sugar for a long while and then the acid....the carbon will form... On the big piece, ear rings, necklace and ring.... That would be cool "all from one stone" Enjoying the video
Just realized this was weeks ago...just got up and the coffee hasn't clicked in
Nice 🙂 I’ve resisted treating any form of matrix opal because most videos show treatment taking 4-5 days. I might try it now that I’ve seen the results you’ve gotten after a day.
I think you should leave that big one as a nice pendant stone and try your hand at bezel setting it
Oh man. Thar might be the thing to do
@@OpalOdyssey-ew9gr you can get the bezel strips in 5-6mm that look great on them. Just make sure it’s 28 gauge. It’s a handy tool to have in your opal belt 🙂
You're cookin' now Ricky!!!! 😂
You have done well. Whatever you do will come out fine. You do have some good Andamooka Opals.
Great results, especially for your first time. Tweak your process until you get comfortable with it. That one that is lightly treated may not get much darker, but worth putting through another treatment. 🤪👍
pretty cool results not bad for the first time you are talented man Ricky
They all look good to me. That big one looks like a good oval for a pendant or cuff bracelet.
Great results on the matrix
Cooking met/Andamooka opal i reckon!
😂 me again... I've really been reading and watching videos about treating opal. They all say cut your stones first. You'll cut the black off when cutting now, but you can always retreat. It sure is beautiful. I've studied how opal is created and why it reacts like it does. You could never close the openings in a opal unless you treated it with something that gets hard like liquid super glue...they are always open and can absorb, even the oils on your fingers. Best part is you can retreat this opal again... Let it completely dry after cutting, don't add heat... I'm surprised it didn't pop or crackle...it could when you start cutting it... I hope you show the cutting video with that treated opal
I think you’re about to cook some opals!
I think that large one could be cut so you get 2 earring stones and a pendant, matched set
Dude, I was surprised to see you hit the opal with a heat gun. Water can vaporize with just light without heat and with heat the water expands.. I'm surprised they didn't start cracking or even popping in half.... thinking you could have more carbon now... Anyway, I'm planning on doing this myself... Does this work with common opal that doesn't have color?
No, it only works on matrix opal that will absorb the sugar water.
All opal exhaust water... that's why they stick to your tongue. The sugar will burn out in the acid and leave the black carbon. That's why I was confused when I heard you say you'd already had them/some in water before the sugar bath .. and it can all be ground away, unless it gets really deep...
It's like a sponge because it has open spaces between the circular Crystal structures, that's where the sugar goes and all opal it made this way. (Circular Crystal structures)
Yours looks great. I hope you didn't think I was disrespecting you because I would never intentionally do that... I just heard you, maybe you misspoke. I see your reply though.
Sugar and acid treatment is one of the most commonly used methods to enhance opal. In the trade, this treatment is usually applied to matrix opal from Andamooka, Australia, a particularly porous material, but works on any opal.
I see where it has "usually"... It's because it works so well.
I've watched people soak the opal for days in sugar water before the acid bath and you can't leave it too long. The only thing affected by the acid is the sugar, leaving carbon, which is black.
@@AlabamaUSA1234 not entirely correct, all opal is made up of partly water, true. But not all opal is Porous enough to take water in. Hydrophane opal will, non hydrophane opal does not take on liquid water. It can absorb moisture in gas form and its relative water % can be higher or lower based on outside conditions. But not all opal will absorb liquid water, not even all Matrix opal will. Often parts of the same opal will and other parts wont.
I think you should make a little mini axe with the peace like an ax either with the wood handle or maybe a little petrified wood piece handle. Like the Indians used to make their axes
You need to wearing a mask?
Truly not telling you how to work your opal. I hear you now talking about treating because some didn't do so well... I believe it was the water inside before the sugar... The sugar turns to carbon, no sugar no black.... I'd wash those, let dry in the sun for a few hours and put it back into sugar for a long while and then the acid....the carbon will form...
On the big piece, ear rings, necklace and ring.... That would be cool "all from one stone"
Enjoying the video