Rough opals are uncut stone direct from the opal mines. Rough opals are uncut and unshaped gemstones, which are sold after cleaning, to either opal cutters who are using them for a hobby, or for serious professional cutters who on-sell the completed stones to jewelers and opal manufacturers.
Australian opal mines are the source of most of the world’s production of opals, being over 90% of the supplies. Opal rough can come in all colors and shades. Broadly speaking, white and crystal opal rough comes from the Coober Pedy fields in South Australia, black opal comes from Lightning Ridge in NSW, and boulder opal comes from Queensland. Rough Opals From The opal Mines To Completion Go to opalmine shop hereParcel of white rough opals and crystal opal rough from S.A.
Supplying Rough Opals to Jewelry manufacturers
For successful gemstone jewelry production, it’s necessary to have a regular supply of stones and this can be a problem with rough opals at present. In the case of gemstones such as sapphires, diamonds, rubies, etc, this is not such a big problem because there are usually good supplies of these stones available from distributors in standard mm sizes and colors so that most designs can be catered for.
However in the case of opals, because each opal is different and the colors are so varied that, at times it’s difficult to do multiples of a particular design. This applies mostly to black and boulder opals. In the case of white or crystal opal, the supplies are more consistent and the colors similar so that an opal manufacturer can set up a production line, using standard castings.
Variations of Rough Opals
Quality of rough opal varies from one parcel to another. This is the challenge that is met by the opal cutter.
Mine Run – Uncut rough opals sourced directly from the mine. Cutting process requires more than beginner knowledge and is harder with such opals because the color is often not obvious and mistakes can be made in the buying process unless you have a lot of experience.
Off Cuts – Off cuts are rough opals that remain after the miner has removed lucrative opal components from the stone. This type of rough opal is what is left over after the top quality gems have been sold. You might think that you are getting someone else’s rejects but this is often not the case because it could be that the cutter has a particular high grade market and he makes his money out of the tops tones. What is left can still be really good opal and not so expensive. If the opal miner or opal cutter does not have a current market for this material, you can pick up a bargain that will suit your needs.
Rubs – These are cleaned and shaped rough opals that have the color exposed and most of the rubbish removed. This is a less risky way of buying rough and is also very economical to send through the post. There is no point in paying the freight for material that is no good to cut unless you are using it to practice, which of course is a good idea if you are just learning.
Peter with Jim a Lightning Ridge opal miner
Choosing Rough Opals
Buying rough opals can be risky and is open to quite a lot of interference from shady dealers. Some opals are OK as long as they are in water, but as soon as they are removed they can crack and fall to pieces. ‘Hydroplane’ opal can be very risky.
It mostly comes from other parts of the world but there are some fields in Australia that produces them as well. Australia has a good reputation for producing stable opal although there are some fields that can give trouble, so if you are buying rough opals, try to deal with opal people who have a good reputation and will look after you in case you lose money.
Watch a video with an opal miner underground at Lightning Ridge here
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Dear Sir
I started learning about opals recently although l have always been drawn to the beauty of minerals and of gems, your experience and kind advice are very much appreciated.
Do you have parcels of “promising” rubs at the moment and if so, could you kindly let me know the price per parcel and of delivery to the UK?
(Please forgive me for sounding silly….is the handling of rubs safe as it means dealing with rough opals?)
Perhaps my querry can help other “opal apprentices” too.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ AND ANSWER MY MESSAGE.
Marianne Ali
Marianne, so sorry for bad service. I’ve been at the opal fields and communication has been interrupted. please take a look at the rubs here https://opalmine.com/product-category/rough-opal/ and let me know your approximate budget and I will put a parcel together for you with extra opal. If you don’t have experience cutting opal it would be good if you could have a good read of my book https://issuu.com/brusaschi/docs/opal_bloke_book-free_version-revised Hope that helps. peter
Alex, yes you can buy rough opal. I have some parcels available at present. It’s a very interesting hobby and if you have some initiative with business you can turn it into a way of making some profit usually by advertising on eBay or another medium. if you haven’t already seen it take a look at my book: https://issuu.com/brusaschi/docs/opal_bloke_book-free_version-revised and I am sure you will pick up some ideas there. peter
Could I, if I had the correct grinding equipment and polish resources, just buy rough opal parcels and make something of/out of it money-wise if i wanted to?
I’ve recently became interested in opals and wish to possibly make something out of it on the side if not just for enjoyment. I’m extremely curious.
Brian, sure you can. thats how i started 50 years ago. Best idea is to join a lapidary club to start with. Let me know your location and I will check it out for you. you can fill in your details in the contacts section of http://www.opalmine.com and I will email you. or you can give me your email address here. Peter
Hi there,
I have a handful Of opals my dad got interstate driving 30yrs ago, from what ive Been told, coober pedy, they are rough and i had them in a cotton handke for about 18 yrs & a friend told me to put them in water to release the sandstone off them, is this ok or not? There are some really pretty colours but i dont Know where to get them ValueD, i live south west NSW riverina region. Im not looking to sell right now but id like to get them valued incase i need to Insure them.
Thanks in advance
dear sir
I AM EPHREM AMEHA from ethiopia and istart a bussines in selling opal in rough and polished form.but, WOLO OPAL HAS HIGH AMOUNT OF WATER AND WHEN IT LOSE ITS WATER ,IT WILL CRACK AND CRAZE EFFECT HAPPENS TO IT. DO YOU HAVE ANY METHOD TO DEHYDRATE THE WATER FROM ROUGH WATER WITHOUT CRACK AND CRAZE?
Opal is my birthstone i would really like to have an opal ring made for myself. I am looking for 3x3mm rough opal “chips” and ithe setting i chose has about 25 pieces. Would it be possible to have it sent to south africa and could i possibly get a quotation. I really like the image of theParcel of white rough opals and crystal opal rough from south Australia
Parcel of white rough opals and crystal opal rough from S.A. ironic that it is from my country i am finding it really hard to find…
My grandson is 8 yrs old and he is starting a collection of gemstones. He is fascinated by theses and is studying them in school. Can you tell me where i could find some of these opals in the rough to add to his collection and to take to the school to study with the other children. Thanks
Fran, if you can afford $100 to cover me for freight from Australia and packaging, i will send that value in opal plus a bunch of free specimens for the boy. in the meantime you can go here to read the opal eBook and here for the movie. best wishes, peter
regarding rough opal. Yes, we send to the UK all the time. Give me an idea of the type of stone you want and maybe an approximate budget. here are examples of the unfinished opals: http://opalmine.com/shop/category/opals-rough/page/4/ But we have everything from $50 to thousands. All prices include shipping. thanks Steve, Peter
English translation: I opal matrix per kilo raw fredyregalado26@gmail.com preferable interested send mail from another country is not Honduras.
answer: Fredy, at present opal matrix is very difficult to find but i will let you know when some comes available. thanks for your inquiry, Peter
Spanish: Fredy, en la actualidad matriz ópalo es muy difícil de encontrar, pero yo le hará saber cuando viene alguno disponible. gracias por su investigación, Peter
I have a stock of (rough) Indonesian opal. I will add the stock in two weeks. if you or anyone interest with it, please contact romicahyadi10@gmail.com
Ronald are you looking at rough opal or cut and polished stones? I will send you an email to make contact and you can let me know the items you are interested in or i can offer you some suggestions. Perhaps you could think about an approximate budget so that i can focus on specific items. thanks for getting in touch, Peter
Mic, where is your opal mine? I usually only deal in Australian opals because they are more secure. But let me know anyway and i will try to help you if possible. best wishes, peter
Yes we do however its becoming more and more difficult. Our standard procedure is to cut away anything that is not useable so that you are not paying for a lot of weight in the shipping. we have mainly what is called rubs, not mine run rough. please go to http://www.opalmine.com and click on the pink HELP button and I’ll point you in the right direction. peter
Yes, we mainly sell rubs rather than rough to save freight costs. please take a look here https://opalmine.com/product-category/rough-opal/ click the HELP button for more information of rough available. peter
I’m on the hunt for a big lot of opals that are cracked, chipped, or tiny chips and pieces that are colorful. Basically opals that are unusable for most jewelers. I am a crafter and could use them so if you have some you can sell please contact me! Thanks so much!
Julieth, hope you find a market for it. This type of opal is called potch in Australia because we are looking to find multiple colors but this green one color opal is very pretty. sort of like a light colored jade similar in color to peridot. Best wishes Julieth. Peter
Jessey regarding your opal. try to get some good close up shots of it using natural shaded light on a white background. reduce the picture size to around 1000 pixels and send it to me here . click on the red email on the front page of http://www.opalmine.com Peter
Stephen, regarding blue opal rough. Do you want crystal opal, black opal, or boulder opal? And do you want light blue or dark blue and does it matter if its blue green. most blue opal comes with flashes of green. Opal in general is getting scarcer so it will probably be difficult but i will see what can be done. thanks Stephen, peter
Tre: regarding your rough opals, email me the pictures to the red email address on the front page of http://www.opalmine.com but make sure they are clear and reduced in size to around 1000 pixels. best wishes, Peter
I have rough cut opals, purchased by my late husband in Mexico 27 years ago and they have been in a container in water all this time. They look fine to me, but what do you think about them being stored that way?
Mary, its always OK to store opals in water whether they are cut and polished opals or rough opals, Of course the real test is if they are left out of water for a considerable time to see if they crack. Generally Mexican opals are quite secure. Peter
just use the email contact top right hand side of the page in red. then we can talk about receiving images. Sorry, your name is Toni. not sure where the Sarah name came from, peter
I have a few raw and uncut opals that belonged to my grandfather… if I remember the story correctly, he brought them home from New Mexico (over 40-50 years ago) or something along those lines.. I have been looking for someone who can help me find out the value or someone who will purchase them… I live in Las Vegas and haven’t had any luck in finding anybody to help me out.. They are still in the actual rock and seem to be a bit more white in color, tho there are a few that seem to be more vibrant in their color…Do you think there is anything u can do to help me find more info or someone who can help me???
Sarah, i am pleased to help you with the rough opal if i can. First you have to get some really good pictures of the stones from different angles. You will need a good macro camera and you will need to control the light so that the color is not overexposed. take the pictures inside with fleuro lights and load them into a graphics program and reduce the size to around 500 pixels before sending. you will need a tripod to get clear shots. just email them to me using the email address at the top right hand side of the opalmine site. Once i get a look at them i will be able to advise you. Hope that helps, Peter
Hi.
It is “Sokas” company from Armenia.
Our company basically occupied with the export of gem-quality mineral of obsidian. But if you are interested the other stones, except obsidian, we can export travertin, jade, gohar, marble, onyx, jasper, agate, breccia and so many others…We have gohar, too…Gohar is the original and precious stone and spread only Armenia.We have granite too, but our granite not a qualified. We have so beutiful items made of that stones…
If you are interested in our proposal, write us. I send you stones pics too…
Hello,
Great items…I need some advice from someone who knows about opals. I have purchased and sold but I’m not an expert by no means. A friend of mine was showing me his rock and fossil collection that mostly was of arrowheads and fossils. He then handed me something he got from his grandfather who had passed. It was an opal with very few scrapes showing its fire here and there. It was about the size of a tennis ball. I guess it was a crystal opal. Not sure he had any other details. It looked solid all around. How could I find any other info out about this item? Thanks Heath
Heath, are you able to get a picture of the stone? was it a pale colored opal or brown with signs of color? If its pale it would be a white or crystal opal and it would be unusual to get a crystal opal that large. If brown its a boulder opal and they can come in any size. just a few more details but if you are sending a picture be sure to reduce the size to around 300 pixels. Peter
Hello Peter
My name is Patrick and I’m a French craftsman I would like to know with which gritt you finish the polishing which
are your sale prices for rough opals
Hello, I live in the U.S.
I am interested in buying a small amount of opal in the 100 to 200 per ounce range.
Is it possible to buy just an ounce or so?
Sure Ken, just give me a budget to work to and i will suggest a parcel. The rule is of course, the higher the grade, the less opal you will get so it might be an idea to let me know where you are up to in regard to cutting and polishing the stones. If you are a beginner its best to practice on the low grades and get more stones. And its better to buy rubs rather than rough so you know basically what you are getting and you are not paying freight for a lot of weight. I will email you direct and we can talk further by email. Just tried to post a link to my eBook here but the link did not work so i will email it to you. best wishes Ken, Peter
Doc, thats a great name! I heard you are a computer diongnostician if there is such a word. Doctor of the Poot (computer) thanks for your nice comments.
Tina, please email me direct. peter@opalmine.com regarding rough opal supplies . we are mining boulder opal at present and will have some stock to offer. best wishes, Peter
Tina, yes, we can help you. We are opal miners as well as processors and we distribute rough opal throughout the world. However, keep in mind that it’s almost impossible to deal with rough boulder opal unless it has at least been broken down into manageable pieces and preferably cleaned up so you know what you are getting. If you buy it by the kilo, you could end up with no color at all, and a big bill for the freight. At times we can supply mine run material at your own risk but usually we sell what we call ‘rubs’. Here is a recent example which has now sold: http://www.opals.co/shop/boulder-opal-rough-blr005/ The wholesale price of this parcel was $6000. You just have to let me know an approximate budget and i can suggest something. If you do your own setting, keep in mind that you can also get unset stones. Send me an email to peter@opalmine.com to discuss it further. Best wishes Tina, Peter
Yeshalem, i have tried cutting wello opal many times and it always cracks after a while. some say they have tried some that remains stable. if you like you can send me a few pieces for testing so that i can comment on it at this forum. the other problem is, how do you value it? the last samples i received were full of cracks and only good for specimens. i need samples that will cut complete stones to test it properly.
Maureen: This is an example of the type of misinformation that is promoted about opal. Just click here for information about opal care . There’s no problem putting opal in water. the only thing you have to be careful of is if you have an opal triplet, which is an opal with a clear crystal cap to protect it. if you constantly put stones like this in hot and detergent water, it can lift the cap off. So if you like, take a picture of your opal and submit it on this forum. i will take a look at it and let you know what you have and what to do to take care of it. but in the meantime, please read the information in the link provided.
Thanks Marty. Do you have a copy of the ‘opal bloke’ CD ? It gives you over 30 years of experience in dealing with rough opal as well as a heap of other stuff. you can get it for free with $120 worth of rough opal. Easy to double your money on that. The details are somewhere on the site where it discusses rough opal. best wishes Marty, Peter
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69 Responses
Dear Sir
I started learning about opals recently although l have always been drawn to the beauty of minerals and of gems, your experience and kind advice are very much appreciated.
Do you have parcels of “promising” rubs at the moment and if so, could you kindly let me know the price per parcel and of delivery to the UK?
(Please forgive me for sounding silly….is the handling of rubs safe as it means dealing with rough opals?)
Perhaps my querry can help other “opal apprentices” too.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ AND ANSWER MY MESSAGE.
Marianne Ali
Marianne, so sorry for bad service. I’ve been at the opal fields and communication has been interrupted. please take a look at the rubs here https://opalmine.com/product-category/rough-opal/ and let me know your approximate budget and I will put a parcel together for you with extra opal. If you don’t have experience cutting opal it would be good if you could have a good read of my book https://issuu.com/brusaschi/docs/opal_bloke_book-free_version-revised Hope that helps. peter
Hi Peter, i do have the same feel as BRIAN BLEAKNEY, can i may ask you to send me infO as well please?
Thanks
Alex
Alex, yes you can buy rough opal. I have some parcels available at present. It’s a very interesting hobby and if you have some initiative with business you can turn it into a way of making some profit usually by advertising on eBay or another medium. if you haven’t already seen it take a look at my book: https://issuu.com/brusaschi/docs/opal_bloke_book-free_version-revised and I am sure you will pick up some ideas there. peter
Could I, if I had the correct grinding equipment and polish resources, just buy rough opal parcels and make something of/out of it money-wise if i wanted to?
I’ve recently became interested in opals and wish to possibly make something out of it on the side if not just for enjoyment. I’m extremely curious.
Brian, sure you can. thats how i started 50 years ago. Best idea is to join a lapidary club to start with. Let me know your location and I will check it out for you. you can fill in your details in the contacts section of http://www.opalmine.com and I will email you. or you can give me your email address here. Peter
Brian did you get a reply to your question or did we miss it? Let me know and sorry if I neglected you. peter
Hi there,
I have a handful Of opals my dad got interstate driving 30yrs ago, from what ive Been told, coober pedy, they are rough and i had them in a cotton handke for about 18 yrs & a friend told me to put them in water to release the sandstone off them, is this ok or not? There are some really pretty colours but i dont Know where to get them ValueD, i live south west NSW riverina region. Im not looking to sell right now but id like to get them valued incase i need to Insure them.
Thanks in advance
Jo..send me an email to pete@opalmine.com and I’ll give you some instructions. Peter
dear sir
I AM EPHREM AMEHA from ethiopia and istart a bussines in selling opal in rough and polished form.but, WOLO OPAL HAS HIGH AMOUNT OF WATER AND WHEN IT LOSE ITS WATER ,IT WILL CRACK AND CRAZE EFFECT HAPPENS TO IT. DO YOU HAVE ANY METHOD TO DEHYDRATE THE WATER FROM ROUGH WATER WITHOUT CRACK AND CRAZE?
Email pete@opalmine.com to discuss your opal..peter
Hi there…
Opal is my birthstone i would really like to have an opal ring made for myself. I am looking for 3x3mm rough opal “chips” and ithe setting i chose has about 25 pieces. Would it be possible to have it sent to south africa and could i possibly get a quotation. I really like the image of theParcel of white rough opals and crystal opal rough from south Australia
Parcel of white rough opals and crystal opal rough from S.A. ironic that it is from my country i am finding it really hard to find…
My grandson is 8 yrs old and he is starting a collection of gemstones. He is fascinated by theses and is studying them in school. Can you tell me where i could find some of these opals in the rough to add to his collection and to take to the school to study with the other children. Thanks
Fran, if you can afford $100 to cover me for freight from Australia and packaging, i will send that value in opal plus a bunch of free specimens for the boy. in the meantime you can go here to read the opal eBook and here for the movie. best wishes, peter
Hi ,
I want to buy an uncut opal for my wife could you tell me if you post to the UK?
Thanks,
Steve
regarding rough opal. Yes, we send to the UK all the time. Give me an idea of the type of stone you want and maybe an approximate budget. here are examples of the unfinished opals: http://opalmine.com/shop/category/opals-rough/page/4/ But we have everything from $50 to thousands. All prices include shipping. thanks Steve, Peter
I have raw matrix opal per kilo interested send email fredyregalado26@gmail.com Preferably from another country, not Honduras.
English translation: I opal matrix per kilo raw fredyregalado26@gmail.com preferable interested send mail from another country is not Honduras.
answer: Fredy, at present opal matrix is very difficult to find but i will let you know when some comes available. thanks for your inquiry, Peter
Spanish: Fredy, en la actualidad matriz ópalo es muy difícil de encontrar, pero yo le hará saber cuando viene alguno disponible. gracias por su investigación, Peter
I have a stock of (rough) Indonesian opal. I will add the stock in two weeks. if you or anyone interest with it, please contact romicahyadi10@gmail.com
Interested to purchase for son, amateur jeweler. Calin@mountainhighme.cim
Ronald are you looking at rough opal or cut and polished stones? I will send you an email to make contact and you can let me know the items you are interested in or i can offer you some suggestions. Perhaps you could think about an approximate budget so that i can focus on specific items. thanks for getting in touch, Peter
I have many opals I would part with for less money than most. I get it from the ground, I don’t get it from anyone, but I have a lot of neat opals…
Mic, where is your opal mine? I usually only deal in Australian opals because they are more secure. But let me know anyway and i will try to help you if possible. best wishes, peter
Do you have any rough opal? 3186232801 Ron Estes
Yes we do however its becoming more and more difficult. Our standard procedure is to cut away anything that is not useable so that you are not paying for a lot of weight in the shipping. we have mainly what is called rubs, not mine run rough. please go to http://www.opalmine.com and click on the pink HELP button and I’ll point you in the right direction. peter
Yes, we mainly sell rubs rather than rough to save freight costs. please take a look here https://opalmine.com/product-category/rough-opal/ click the HELP button for more information of rough available. peter
I have a good quantity of rough uncut white opals that I wish to sell, can anybody advise how I best go about it?
Denis are you able to email some good pictures so i can tell what you have? I i will email you to make the contact. thanks, peter
I’m on the hunt for a big lot of opals that are cracked, chipped, or tiny chips and pieces that are colorful. Basically opals that are unusable for most jewelers. I am a crafter and could use them so if you have some you can sell please contact me! Thanks so much!
opal chips Angela, i will keep an eye out for you. i will send you an email to make contact. peter
I have rough green opal ad I am looking for some where to sell them . If anybody is interested please contact me : julieth_kitenge@yahoo.com
Julieth, hope you find a market for it. This type of opal is called potch in Australia because we are looking to find multiple colors but this green one color opal is very pretty. sort of like a light colored jade similar in color to peridot. Best wishes Julieth. Peter
how much? that big green opal would be good for carvers
Dee, which opal are you looking at. please send me the code or the url. peter
I have rough green opal and I am looking for some where to sell the them. If anybody is interested please email me julieth_kitenge@yahoo.com
If interested contact me at (951)210-6102 an I live in california if your wondering
Jessey regarding your opal. try to get some good close up shots of it using natural shaded light on a white background. reduce the picture size to around 1000 pixels and send it to me here . click on the red email on the front page of http://www.opalmine.com Peter
re opal.. just sent you a message Jessey. peter
I currently have a 10kt opal I am trying to sell but dont know where/who to sell it to an I need money.
l need blue opal rough uncut. lf anyone have it should kindly contact me on +2348034339162. l want to buy.
Stephen, regarding blue opal rough. Do you want crystal opal, black opal, or boulder opal? And do you want light blue or dark blue and does it matter if its blue green. most blue opal comes with flashes of green. Opal in general is getting scarcer so it will probably be difficult but i will see what can be done. thanks Stephen, peter
Tre: regarding your rough opals, email me the pictures to the red email address on the front page of http://www.opalmine.com but make sure they are clear and reduced in size to around 1000 pixels. best wishes, Peter
I have rough cut opals, purchased by my late husband in Mexico 27 years ago and they have been in a container in water all this time. They look fine to me, but what do you think about them being stored that way?
Mary, its always OK to store opals in water whether they are cut and polished opals or rough opals, Of course the real test is if they are left out of water for a considerable time to see if they crack. Generally Mexican opals are quite secure. Peter
the email address you have is wrong. i cant post it here because of spam problems. just use the encrypted address shown to the top right.
just use the email contact top right hand side of the page in red. then we can talk about receiving images. Sorry, your name is Toni. not sure where the Sarah name came from, peter
I have a few raw and uncut opals that belonged to my grandfather… if I remember the story correctly, he brought them home from New Mexico (over 40-50 years ago) or something along those lines.. I have been looking for someone who can help me find out the value or someone who will purchase them… I live in Las Vegas and haven’t had any luck in finding anybody to help me out.. They are still in the actual rock and seem to be a bit more white in color, tho there are a few that seem to be more vibrant in their color…Do you think there is anything u can do to help me find more info or someone who can help me???
Sarah, i am pleased to help you with the rough opal if i can. First you have to get some really good pictures of the stones from different angles. You will need a good macro camera and you will need to control the light so that the color is not overexposed. take the pictures inside with fleuro lights and load them into a graphics program and reduce the size to around 500 pixels before sending. you will need a tripod to get clear shots. just email them to me using the email address at the top right hand side of the opalmine site. Once i get a look at them i will be able to advise you. Hope that helps, Peter
Hi.
It is “Sokas” company from Armenia.
Our company basically occupied with the export of gem-quality mineral of obsidian. But if you are interested the other stones, except obsidian, we can export travertin, jade, gohar, marble, onyx, jasper, agate, breccia and so many others…We have gohar, too…Gohar is the original and precious stone and spread only Armenia.We have granite too, but our granite not a qualified. We have so beutiful items made of that stones…
If you are interested in our proposal, write us. I send you stones pics too…
Best regards Ina Hovhannisyan
Hello,
Great items…I need some advice from someone who knows about opals. I have purchased and sold but I’m not an expert by no means. A friend of mine was showing me his rock and fossil collection that mostly was of arrowheads and fossils. He then handed me something he got from his grandfather who had passed. It was an opal with very few scrapes showing its fire here and there. It was about the size of a tennis ball. I guess it was a crystal opal. Not sure he had any other details. It looked solid all around. How could I find any other info out about this item? Thanks Heath
Heath, are you able to get a picture of the stone? was it a pale colored opal or brown with signs of color? If its pale it would be a white or crystal opal and it would be unusual to get a crystal opal that large. If brown its a boulder opal and they can come in any size. just a few more details but if you are sending a picture be sure to reduce the size to around 300 pixels. Peter
Hello Peter
My name is Patrick and I’m a French craftsman I would like to know with which gritt you finish the polishing which
are your sale prices for rough opals
Hey! So this seems like a great website…..so what is the most amazing piece of opal you have ever seen in the rough?
Hello, I live in the U.S.
I am interested in buying a small amount of opal in the 100 to 200 per ounce range.
Is it possible to buy just an ounce or so?
Thank you.
Ken.
Sure Ken, just give me a budget to work to and i will suggest a parcel. The rule is of course, the higher the grade, the less opal you will get so it might be an idea to let me know where you are up to in regard to cutting and polishing the stones. If you are a beginner its best to practice on the low grades and get more stones. And its better to buy rubs rather than rough so you know basically what you are getting and you are not paying freight for a lot of weight. I will email you direct and we can talk further by email. Just tried to post a link to my eBook here but the link did not work so i will email it to you. best wishes Ken, Peter
give me a ring if you are on the gold coast sometime. peter
i want to whiete rough opal in reang of10$15 peroz if you suppaly me you repaly me ashok
Ashok, $15 per oz you wont get much opal color. mainly just a little. I will send you an email. Peter
love your web site peter, great opal images and information
thankyou for the nice comments doc, we try our best to please
Doc, thats a great name! I heard you are a computer diongnostician if there is such a word. Doctor of the Poot (computer) thanks for your nice comments.
Tina, please email me direct. peter@opalmine.com regarding rough opal supplies . we are mining boulder opal at present and will have some stock to offer. best wishes, Peter
I have matrix opal I am looking for one to buy I am in the DRC if you are interested contact me at +243999046949
Tina, yes, we can help you. We are opal miners as well as processors and we distribute rough opal throughout the world. However, keep in mind that it’s almost impossible to deal with rough boulder opal unless it has at least been broken down into manageable pieces and preferably cleaned up so you know what you are getting. If you buy it by the kilo, you could end up with no color at all, and a big bill for the freight. At times we can supply mine run material at your own risk but usually we sell what we call ‘rubs’. Here is a recent example which has now sold: http://www.opals.co/shop/boulder-opal-rough-blr005/ The wholesale price of this parcel was $6000. You just have to let me know an approximate budget and i can suggest something. If you do your own setting, keep in mind that you can also get unset stones. Send me an email to peter@opalmine.com to discuss it further. Best wishes Tina, Peter
Yeshalem, i have tried cutting wello opal many times and it always cracks after a while. some say they have tried some that remains stable. if you like you can send me a few pieces for testing so that i can comment on it at this forum. the other problem is, how do you value it? the last samples i received were full of cracks and only good for specimens. i need samples that will cut complete stones to test it properly.
why mustn’t I allow my opls to get wet?
Maureen: This is an example of the type of misinformation that is promoted about opal. Just click here for information about opal care . There’s no problem putting opal in water. the only thing you have to be careful of is if you have an opal triplet, which is an opal with a clear crystal cap to protect it. if you constantly put stones like this in hot and detergent water, it can lift the cap off. So if you like, take a picture of your opal and submit it on this forum. i will take a look at it and let you know what you have and what to do to take care of it. but in the meantime, please read the information in the link provided.
I really like rough opals and want to thank you for your cool article here.
Thanks
Opal Wholesale
Thanks Marty. Do you have a copy of the ‘opal bloke’ CD ? It gives you over 30 years of experience in dealing with rough opal as well as a heap of other stuff. you can get it for free with $120 worth of rough opal. Easy to double your money on that. The details are somewhere on the site where it discusses rough opal. best wishes Marty, Peter