Australian Digit Opal - The Way Precious Opal REALLY forms
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- The most important aspect of this video is how Australian opal REALLY forms. The old theories are incorrect!
The digit pattern in precious opal, particularly notable in Australian opal, is a rare and striking phenomenon characterized by finger-like structures within the gemstone. These structures, resembling fingers or digits, were first documented in a 2013 article in Gems and Gemology by French authors, Rondeau, et al, who termed it the "digit" pattern.
Justin Thomas of Black Opal Direct notably discovered a large example of this pattern, named the "Rainbow Serpent," in 2016. While this digit pattern is more commonly observed in Ethiopian opal, its occurrence in Australian opal is relatively scarce. The formation of these finger-like structures, termed prismatic photonic colloidal crystals by Australian gemologists, is believed to be the fundamental process behind all precious opal formation.
This digit pattern is the natural way that all precious opal forms and this is exemplified the creation of synthetic opal, in which the digit pattern forms naturally. The intricate process of opal formation involves the deposition of colloidal silica within sedimentary rock, resulting in the formation of columns of opal that are often disrupted by subsequent silica flows. However, some opal seams, such as those found in Coober Pedy and Andamooka, manage to preserve the delicate columnar structures, contributing to their beautiy, rarity and value.
Link to Black Opal Direct's Video of the Amazing Black Digit opal, the Rainbow Serpent:
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That is the best explanation of opal formation I have ever heard. It also makes sense that geologic pressure rather than seepage formed the opal. Thanks Colonel!
I love how you blend science, cats, pretty rocks, cute edits, and humor in your videos :) Boy that is extremely generous to raffle off such beautiful pieces of opal. You are such a wonderful addition to the lapidary community :)
Thank you for the kind words. I try to put a little of all of that in my videos.
Opals, kitties & Mr P, what a great start to a Wednesday morning!
Love the education given through these videos. Our knowledge becomes greater, thanks to you.
I can’t believe that nobody put this together before, Trish. The geoscientific data jives with recent experimental information about how synthetic opal forms and I believe that mostly explains everything. I am going to look into it more, though. Thanks for the nice comment.
Heterogeneous nucleation is a hell of a drug. Opal has it figured out...
0:54 I love how not serious you are on your channel. Everyone else seems to be so serious, but I can always count on you to be silly and I love it!
You CAN DEFINITELY count on that. Without it, I might not be doing videos, a! Fun is #1 (opal is #2)
Thanks for the opal education. Very interesting.
The revised explanation of australian opal makes so much more sense. Great video as always, and great kitties too.
Informative and fun as always. Thanks for another great vid!
love the digit pattern on those coober pedy opals! Another great video as always
It's amazing watching you cut and polish these opals and the changes that happen.
you are the most entertaintment opal cutter in the net, by far my little daughters and I enjoyed every one of your programs, I hope someday can afford a journey to Australia to visit the mines and have that experience..I love opals
Wow, thank you! You are too kind!
Maybe you didnt notice, but you are very funny guy, you had such occurrences...I picture you as a very happy man, your cats love you, thats easy to see...and you are very kind with us the spectators with your giveaway items. You take desitions abut cutting stones that any of us think about, dare devil ones, risky ones its like you are reading our curiosity minds...other cutters does'nt take that kind o risk.
long life and health my friend!!!
You won a giveaway, V. My last video - Something like “Big Opal Flash.” Info@pulitzeropal.com (need your mailing address
Thanks for all the great opal information you provide.
You bet! I actually shocked myself. I stumbled upon information that had never been explained in non-scientific terms.
I'm set up to be notified of all your videos, but I didn't get notified about this one.
Great stuff as always.
I learned more about my birthstone gem from this video than I ever knew. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in an interesting way that kept me engrossed.
Was proud of myself that I’d been paying attention. I knew you’d say digit pattern at the end. What gorgeous opals! And Sheila has come alive. The one positive thing I’ve seen from all the AI hullabaloo. Saw you on IG and came over. ❤
I was looking at some Ethiopian opals on Instagram and tried to find a way to link my UA-cam video, but was not able to. So I decided to upload a video from my computer ... any random video, just to try it (upload to Instagram), but it was unsatisfactory, so I had to dictate an explanation. Maybe I will make a YT short out of it, too. As far as AI, I think that people will get VERY tired of Sheila speaking, so I am going to use it sparingly. (The good part of AI is the opal mountain, that I made out of Ayer's Rock. The AI would not make the whole mountain opal, so I helped with some photoshop. The story in this video is very important .. at least to opal people. (How Australian opal forms, how opal starts out everywhere, where color bars come from, and the digit pattern is how precious opal forms without help --- you just let it sit and it forms digits all by itself!
I am a nut and I’m here till the end!! Thank you, Colonel. I love watching you cut Opal and I learn something new every time especially this video. It was probably my favorite one yet!
TODAY I LEARNT that the folks at Kyocera ALSO make synthetic opal! I was astounded when I first stumbled upon their ceramic knives ("...but but but... won't the ceramic blade break?!") and then I got the chance to use one. Gosh it was fantastic because it is surprising when a daily object like a knife is made out of an entirely unexpected material like ceramic. A smooth cutting experience, too ⭐.
While I am still partial to natural opals instead of synthetic ones, the innovation and advancement is still very cool. I imagine a factory visit to Kyocera (knives OR opals) would be fascinating.
Great seeing a new vid from you today. Always learning in a fun way, that's the best!
Thanks for that! This may be my best video ..... change that ...... it may be my most IMPORTANT video. I IS my most important. The TRUE origin of Australian Opal??? (I never expected to ever have a video with that in it!)
Now that was very interesting and really informative. And of course some absolutely beautiful opal!!
You continue to create great content. Thank you for all you put into your videos. I love opal!
I like the digit pattern - easy to remember name as well. I love seeing your cats as well
I still remember the picture legend of the spirit of animals being stuck in the stone. I've always wanted to own a decent pice of Nevada Opal.
As always kernel, thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Amazing work as always! And I learned something new about opal even after 5 years of cutting Australian opal!
So did I! I was reading the research and I was shocked, "Finally, somebody is telling me how Australian opal forms, where color bars come from and that the digit pattern is how opal forms in all precious opal (everywhere)! You see, nobody ever bothered to "translate" this important new scientific information from Technobabble into English. But you know, from a scientist's perspective this information is only "vital" for other scientists to stimulate more scientists to research new topics. That's probably why it was not "translated." I"m sure some scientists felt that it was beneath their dignity to put the discoveries into the words of a layman. I understand, but it isn't difficult. I had to do that for years ... and the people that I was explaining things to were mostly other doctors!
Excellent technical descriptions! Thanks!
Loved the science section. My wife often refers to me as "primordial ooze" but I think she really means "primordial pattern". At least that's what I'll tell myself from now on.
Glad it was helpful! I could not believe that this stuff was hidden in scientific publications! The best article was from 2013!
I have used "primoridal ooze" before in a video .... It sounded so ...... skrrr!
Thanks for the info Colonel. Good to see you and the kitties again, and Sheila too.
Always educational and entertaining. Thanks for sharing.
I have seen the video of Justin, showing off that piece of opal. It really is a nice stone! Scrrr! You seem to have quite some specimens of digit pattern opals yourself. I can only imagine how many opals you need to have to have that many with the digit pattern! On the subject of cats, my brother recently adopted four kittens. Cuteness overload for certain, but what a terrorists they are! I do love the videos and photos he sends me though, as I do enjoy the clips you treat us with from time to time. I see that Sheila has become much more expressive recently. She always has some gems to say. I will be eagerly awaiting your next video.
Thanks for the nice comment, d! I don't know how it happened, but this is the first time that I have ever SEEN cats get along. All 4 of them ... I have never seen it in any two cats that I have had! I would like to be able to tell your brother what to do make his into a "herd." The only thing that I can think of is that the first (of this group), Paco, is very calm and ... maybe they look up to him. Thanks for the nice comment! dp
Great show Col., and the scientific data on the newly stated information about how opal is formed every where is very interesting! Thank you!
That digit pattern is incredibly interesting. Now I've gotta check through some of mine :)
PPCC. Amazingly impressive. Love them digits. Wonderful presentation.
Thank you. It took me quite a while to find this information. I guess that most people don’t care. Once I found it, I felt obligated to put it in the video, because it explains a lot of things that people should know like how Opal really forms and why we have color bars and why the digit pattern is so rare in Australia. It was worth the extra work though.
huge fan of the science part of rocks and crystals. the pear shaped opal you cut with the pattern running diagonal in color bars. thas the most beautiful opal Ive ever seen.
In my limited cutting experience, i feel Ethiopian Opal has kind of colourbars, just more spherical in shape. Like a more white "shell" and an orangy core scrrr.
Thanks for the Video 👍
I recently bought some roughs from Ethiopia that got some crazy colour bars.
Well, in the "digit opal" original article, they show an opal with colorbars, but if you look closely, only one of them appears to be precious opal. The orange layer in that photo is precious opal. I'm not sure about the rest of it. Now there IS what appears to be a second layer in many Ethiopian opals. The tips of the fingers are dissolved away a little over time and the resulting silica -- non-precious opal forms a "potch" layer above the digit layer. I suppose that you COULD call that a color bar, but the color is off white ... always. (almost always!)
Skipper is the perfect name for that piece you do such good work
Loved the kitties! Oh and the opal stuff too!😂 great video!
Love them all but splash takes my eye! Great work as always...
Your channel is a treasure.
Fascinating! I have a collection of opals, but none like the beauties you share with us here. Thank you. (I love opals!) 🤗
They are easy to love … I think
Very nice explaination thanks again for dropping more opal wisdom.
I love Opal it just happened to be my birthstone. I need one lol
I really appreciate the science! It's interesting to learn (or re-learn) how the beautiful things in our world came to be. I always hunt through Ethiopian opal to see if I can find the digit pattern to try to cut a good honeycomb cabochon. No luck yet, but the hunt is fun! Now I have a new reason to hunt out the pattern and try different angles to get the prettiest stone I can. Thank you as always for sharing your adorable kitties with the world! Their adorable antics give me the warm & fuzzies.
I did a video in which I showed how to find the honeycomb pattern. (Basically, look for the digits!)
The Ayers Rock made of opal picture you put up looked amazing 👍
Done with AI and Photoshop. The AI just count not make the whole thing opal.
Guilty of being a science nut!! Fantastic video, my spouse and I eagerly await your videos. It’s a bonding experience for us, and it doesn’t hurt that we both love opal. Thank you!!
I'm not sure what that says about the future of your relationship, but ... Thanks for the nice comment!
PPCC just blew my mind 😂
So you're telling me that Outback Opal Hunters are telling me half truths? Reality TV shows would never do such a thing.....
Excellent video as always 👌
What did they tell you? Ohhh ... about silica water collecting in seams? That's b.s. (as we now know)!
Digit pattern it is. It’s settled and final. Thank you for sharing. I really enjoyed the Deep Science segment.
Glad you enjoyed it! Digit pattern opal is what most of the world's precious opal looks like all of the time. (I am still trying to confirm this).
Just stumbled upon this opal site!! Awesome...very informative, luv the kitties
I also watch a channel where the host describes the geology of how precious metals are deposited in cracks and fissures in host rock during epithermal events. Those same geologic processes most likely influence opal formation where the columnar pattern is disrupted by subsequent intrusions of silica-rich colloidal fluids.
Correct! I have seen how a slight disruption during opal synthesis (fake opal) will cause a jagged area -- all fingers grew knuckles, then they continued to grow the same fingers. In Ethiopia, volcanic action is right there, ready to shake things up.
Thankyou for sharing your vast knowledge of opals ❤
It's not vast. I just started a month ago. (I took over from the REAL Colonel; I'm just a Sergeant!)
Very cool digit patterns :)
Wowser, those are some beautiful pieces of rock! Thx for another great video.
Thank you for the Interesting Science Lesson today. You have Allowed me to take the rest of the Day off as I have learned my "New Fact of the Day".. I'm always learning. Thanks
Love your videos
Scrr Colonel , you've just changed my knowledge of opal for ever , and for the better. Thank you for another great video , love the science section.
It change my knowledge, too. When I cam across the information (10 years old) it was in "technobabble." I can't believe that none of those geologists thought to get the information out in understandable language.
Great video. Love your style and very funny!
The opal you call skipper is truly amazing
I think so too, but it's not black opal ... it's a doublet. I do love doublets!
Splash is such a stunning gem
I love watching your videos. You explain the science and it's very interesting. I always learn something. Also opal is gorgeous to look at.
Love all the info about the differences between opals.. ..
Glad you like them! I do, too, OC!
Those are beautiful!!!! SKUR!!!! I am descended from pirates, so SKUR is cool.
Congratulations to the winners!!!
Scrrr!
Came for the color, stayed for the science! I'm guessing it's hard to figure out how to cut such beautiful specimens to get the best presentation possible. I would be afraid to cut some of those stones you showed. My hat's off to a true artisan!
You get used to it, I guess. Just like playing the cello, I'd say
Great video once again! Thank you
Damn a lot on information! Thanks 4 sharing as always!
I really enjoy your channel and all the great opal information.
Great video as always
I was thinking that I had not heard from you guys in a while, but it's probably that I don't get to look at the comments as much as I once did! Hope that all is well there! dp
All is getting better, we’ve had a few bumps in the road.
Very well broken down, appreciate it!
Thanks for the video Colonel. :)
Another great Video . I love the black fish thank you learn a lot in 14 minutes
What do you mean don't get excited about Skipper. That's one stunning doublet
Fine to be excited, I guess. But it's only a doublet ... a small one, S!
Thank you for an excellent video as usual. The science is well explained and understandable. I wasn't aware that Brazil had sedimentary opal. I'd like to see more examples in the future.
Have you seen this? ua-cam.com/video/6bY54RM48pE/v-deo.html
what a fabulous opal, like every video you make, thanks
Skipper is a real cutey. Scrrr! Hugs to the kitties! Thanks for the science lesson; much appreciated.
I have learned along the way and today you taught me something new. Thank you, I had always associated the "Digit Patern with the synthetic Opal family - I guess because it is so rare. I would love to make something with this pattern.
Thanks again
Digit pattern is what opal "juice" does on its own! Who knew??
Very beautiful. I learn so much from your content. 👌
Very interesting i learnt something today from you that i wouldn't have learnt anywhere else thank you
Digit Patten is beautiful and another school day some very clear explanation as always and what are the price different in opal around the world
Another informative video. Thanks for the lesson.
BIG congrats to the winners and good luck to everyone to win this videos prize!!!!!!!
Missed you last night I went to bed to early to catch this one lol
I'm shocked you haven't made one of your cats an opal collar yet
Enjoyed telling us how it was formed
You sure have a lot of very beautiful and even the one your giving away!!!
I very much enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up
I am glad that you liked it. People have said in the comments that I have a lot of opals. I guess that must be because I cut more than an ounce of opal and therefore the number of final stones was higher than usual. ... I guess!
That was really good information and a lot of words for pretty dang beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
Very interesting to hear the latest news from the opal science frontier!
Beautiful opals & awesome a new video been waiting for this... Thank you again for your time & effort into making these, again beautiful opals woooohooooooo yusssssssss
7 day old comment. I thought that I had seen most of them ... I guess not! Thanks for the nice comment!
Love your kitty pics and ur opals are amazing. Leaned a lot😊❤ thx Karen
Great information!! I always wonder how different patterns form
Right. But I don’t know if this process (waves of opal flow) occurs at all outside of Australia.
One of your best videos! Think my nose was touching the screen.
Thanks, km!
I really like that video format
Wow what a great video, thank you!! Love your kitties too ❤
You are too kind, Randi. I found the new scientific info and it just came together with what I already knew. Lucky, really.
Exceptional educational segment.
Sheila is always right. It’s best not to worry yourself about that.
Words to live by, ako!
Thanks for the great video!
Gotta love it. Science is always moving forward. Still it does not distract from the beauty pulled from the Earth, especially around Cooper Petey.
As always, knowledge and beautiful opals!
Thank you! Cheers!
Excellent video sir!
As an indigenous Australian, it's an honour to have an opal named after a creature from the Dreamtime
I agree
Wow, thank you for the in depth explanation.
I was shocked myself. I got into the REAL science and that, together with some things that I have picked up through the years just clicked. Did we ever know have color bars form? Could anybody have predicted that the digit pattern is how all precious opal starts? (I have not looked into it enough, but it may well be that many places with precious opal (outside of Australia) have ONLY digit opal. The variation in patterns there come mostly from different ways (angles, etc.) of cutting it.
SCURRR, you have my digits dancing with joy. Loving it all Colonel. Thank you for updating my opal knowledge 👍😁
Scrrr!
@@PulitzerOpal , I know, I spelt it wrong but I didn't want to leave u out 😁. Loving your work as always. Thanks.
Thanks for your video, I enjoyed it. They are simply uniquely magnificent
Some amazing opals in this vid! Great information!
My cat is named Hopper. He’s a year and a half old, black British domestic short hair, and he’s the biggest joy in my life.😊
❤️✌️
My Hopper is 3. The four cats are big here. Always something happening with them!
Sheila stand aside 😂 showing us beautiful opals as always thankyou ✨🥂
Holy cow! Now I have to rethink my whole game thanks to you! I was a big fan of the "water seeping into pre-programmed cracks". Cant we ever get it right the first time? Can we get, at least a B.A. from this class? And what do we make from this Spasmatic Photographic Collided Crystal? So may big words to explain nature? Im confused................. One thing I am not confused about is the unbelievably beautiful opal you manage to wrangle out of thin air. Stunning!
People keep saying things about all of the great opal in this video. That didn't even cross my mind, honestly. Maybe I'm "jaded?"
This was fascinating. Thanks x
Awesome! I enjoy learning new things. Thanks, Again.
Glad to hear it!
Was leaky petrified wood with opal? Absolutely beautiful
What I really want to understand is how you have comments 56 minutes ago on a video you released 27 minutes ago? Thanks for another great video!
You tube is a strange place.
@@ThatOpalGuy Twilight Zone-ish at times. (And now I’m showing my age. lol)
I truly don’t know, Evelyn. I released it at exactly 4:01 am Eastern US time