My opal rock

[misspond]

There was a discussion a week or so ago about opals (after Enigma let us have a look at her opal pendant) and I remembered that in the attic I had a rock with a bit of opal on/in it.

I remembered to dig it out of the box it was in and as I thought there's nothing usable as there's just a very thin layer on two sides and looking underneath it there's a very fine vein or two running through it but that's it. But it is pretty and I shall place it somewhere where I can actually see it instead of it being hidden away.

[Dennis]

Pity to hide it though. It deserves to be on show, maybe mounted on something.
You don't give the size, but the middle picture looks as if it could be made into a boulder opal cabochon for a ring. Dennis.

[enigma]

Looks like it could be usable, what size is it?

[misspond]

It's actually pretty big.


I've posted the pics on a Facebook goup and I'm being urged to find someone or some way to cab it as it's probably boulder opal so it's not beyond having some of the surrounding material included in cabs. And it just so happens that I know someone who cabs her own stones so I've messaged her for advice. And there was me thinking I'd just got a big old rock with a bit of opal sitting up in the attic.

[Dennis]

Give that to an experienced professional and you'll get four or five usable stones out of that. They don't all have to be conventional shapes. Some can be free form. But try to get two matching for earrings. Dennis.

[misspond]

Give that to an experienced professional and you'll get four or five usable stones out of that. They don't all have to be conventional shapes. Some can be free form. But try to get two matching for earrings. Dennis.

I don't really wear earrings (despite having four holes in each ear - bizarrely having my son seemed to kill my ability to wear earrings for more than 20 minutes) - so I'd be happy with however many free form shapes could be made from it.

[enigma]

Its huge!
you may find some really special cabs in there.

[misspond]

It IS huge!

I just thought it was a bit of rock with a bit of cracked useless opal on it. Maybe twenty years ago it was worth the couple of Australian dollars I'm pretty sure I'd have paid for it (I've never been one for expense and I was back-packing at the time) but since then it seems people are keen to ply their skills. I know I went to a rock shop that had a lot of druzy (not that I knew what that was then) and think I bought this piece then because it was ugly/pretty. As I say, I've got a friend who brings back pieces of rock from Peru and cuts them herself for her jewellery so she's my first port of call on this (now that I'm looking at it again). I don't have any lapping/cabbing equipment so it'll be interesting to see what someone can do with it for me.

[china]

Yep it's a piece of boulder opal very hard to tell from a photo but as said above most likely several stones from that, take it to some one who knows how to cut opal
believe or not you can polish the brown bits as well, if those yellow streaks are solid it will look quite nice.
If the colour is very thin you could make doublets or triplets, although not as valuable.have a look here http://www.opalsdownunder.com.au/lea...s-and-triplets

[misspond]

Yes, some folks in a lapping group pointed me towards pics of boulder opal they've cut and polished so I've a better idea of what I've got now. And there I was thinking it was just a lump of rock!