Opal Polishing and cutting video
Welcome to our video blog post
Click on the image to the right for the latest video all about the opal industry. It’s a lot longer than
my first video which was a smash hit with thousands of views, Alors merci à tous ceux qui viennent regarder.
Opal cutting is such a wonderful art to learn either from the viewpoint of creating a fascinating hobby or maybe to turn it into a business. The opal industry in itself is loaded with the history of real characters from all over the world.
I encourage you to go and take a look at places like Coober Pedy in South Australia. White Cliffs not far from Broken Hill. Lightning Ridge near the Queensland border and that’s where the fun starts as you visit places like Yowah, Taux d'intérêt, Quilpie, Winton and lots of other small opal sites.
If you go to Lighting Ridge where I spend most of my time, don’t miss the bore baths, particularly in the middle of winter at nighttime.
Like all skills opal polishing and cutting is not so difficult
It just takes a little time with some guidance from experienced cutters and some patience along with the right machinery and you can get the hang of it in a reasonable time. When I first learned to cut opal back in 1971 I had no idea what to do.
My first attempt was after I had found a chunk of opal matrix at the Yowah opal mine in western Queensland. I took the piece to Bill, a friend who lived north of Cunnamulla in Charleville and attempted it fashion it on an ordinary grinding wheel in Bill’s shed.
Il va sans dire, the operation was not a success. Nonetheless, it did build enthusiasm and a few years later when I was in Brisbane I located an old guy who used to do some cutting and he showed me the rudiments of the process.
From there it was just a matter of experimentation. I bought my first parcel of boulder opal and proudly presented the results to my wife who still wears a ring with one of those first stones and I have a belt buckle from the same parcel.
Donc Opal Polishing and Cutting is best worked out by getting hands-on advice from those who have done it and even though we might be worlds apart, this video does not feature an actual movie, just a series of slides on the subject. Pars s'il te plait ici to get a better look at things and the opalmine site along with descriptive articles can put you light years ahead in the process. Hope you enjoy this presentation.
A bientôt!
ps: Please don’t forget to view our range of Video de polissage et de coupe opale and opal jewelry before you leave! www.opalmine.com