Hi, from sunny Scotland

[Rusticola]

Hello, I don't normally "do" forums, but I've been snooping around here looking for inspiration, so I thought it only good manners to introduce myself.
I started cutting opal about three years ago and it's developed into a bit of an obsession. Initially I was paying a couple of local jewellers to mount my stones, then one day I was watching as a stone was set and I thought I'd have a bash myself. Since then I've been spending as much time making jewellery as I have cutting opal. I've had, and continue to have, the odd disaster, but I'm getting better. I search online for pictures of jewellery, then try to figure how each piece was made before having a go myself. Most of my tools came, second hand, from ebay. My torches are a cook's blowlamp and a £2.50 butane pencil torch from ebay, so many of my projects are challenging, especially those involving multiple pieces of light gauge wire!
I'll go back to my snooping now.

Bill

[-Sally-]

Hello Bill - nice to have you on the forum
I'm looking forward to seeing some of your opal creations.
Sally

[Rusticola]

Hi Sally, I don't have many pictures of set opals, but I'll dig through my phone and see what there is. I've been doing rings and pendants using other stones, for Christmas, I've got some pictures of them. I'll see if I can attach some tomorrow, also some pics of giant opals that I'm planning on setting soon.
Bill

[CJ57]

Hi Bill, welcome. I'm in Fife, where on earth are you getting sun?
We'd love to see some of your opals, many of us are stone junkies as well and always looking for new!

[Rusticola]

I've just discovered that neither PC nor laptop recognises my phone, so I resorted to emailing pics to myself and downloading them. Lets see if I can attach some now.

Looks like it worked.

[Rusticola]

Found a couple of pics of mounted opals, but can't upload them, I'll try again later.

[Rusticola]

Silver and 14ct gold.

[Rusticola]

Hi Caroline, you've got to think positive - it has been sunny a couple of times this year!

[CJ57]

Hi Caroline, you've got to think positive - it has been sunny a couple of times this year!

can't stand these dreich dark days, I need -7 sunny and dry again thanks!
Some lovely stones there Bill, do you only do them for personal use?

[Rusticola]

can't stand these dreich dark days, I need -7 sunny and dry again thanks!
Some lovely stones there Bill, do you only do them for personal use?

I don't use them myself; some go into jewellers for sale, some go to friends and family, but I keep most of the gold set opal with a view to selling it when I need the cash. I do sell loose stones to pay for my rough and precious metal. I cut the opal and make the jewellery for the enjoyment of it. I get a real buzz from digging through a parcel of rough, haggling to get the best price possible, then fetching it home to see what I've got. The faceted stones in the pictures come from Thailand; I have a nephew there and he can buy gemstones at Thai prices, so I can afford to experiment without worrying about spoiling a stone. I've become familiar with the crunch that an emerald makes when it's crushed without having to worry about the cost.