How to Cut and Polish Ethiopian Opal
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- www.moregems.com - Steve Moriarty explains and demonstrates how to cut and polish a cabochon out of a rough piece of Welo Ethiopian Opal. He starts with a hand tool to clean off the outer rock, then moves to cutting and polishing on belts by hand. He describes each process as he moves along to the final product. If you have any questions for Steve, please leave them in the comments section below.
Also available to see in person at Moriarty's Gem Art Store at 126 South Main Street, Crown Point, Indiana. We're located in the hub of Northwest Indiana on the downtown Square.
#GemCutter #Opal #Lapidary
Opals are my favorite of all stones. They look like magic.
Not only do they look like magic...They really are magical if you use them properly...or heck even if you abuse them they still work!
I am OBSESSED with opals lately! Omg- I don’t know why but I must have one!!
Wow! Free hand cabbing at it's best. Very impressive and he didn't grind down his finger tips. Maybe someday I'll be that good. Truly a beautiful cab. Well done!
Steve, I enjoy your videos and have learned much from them. I have cut many Ethiopian Opals and one thing I really think you need to consider with them is cutting for the Play of color vs cutting for shape and size. While this stone is fantastic and the size is commendable. a slightly smaller stone with the play of color could increase the carat value considerably. Thanks for all you do!
Best cab ,I have seen made ,ever ,thank you ,🙏
Best cut iv ever seen on an opal ,that said I am new to gem work and have a lot to learn but I love the way you shapes the stone on the back ,beveled the edge etc ,no seen it done quite like that but the finished result ,best I have seen ,I am currently saving for my fist facet machine and more jems uploads are very helpful ,thank you .
Your Opal look gorgeous. Its a pitty that you must take a lot from gems away. Thank you for sharing...👍🤩🖐..have nice Easter...💖🧿👍🐔🐣🥚🥂🍾
WOOOOOOOW That was insanely awesome!!!!! What a beautiful beautiful ever so stunning piece!!
Thanks for the video. Good job. Answered most of my questions
I always thought the Welo opal temporarily lost its colour when it got wet but that seems to hold its colour well, a beautiful stone.
You can leave rough Ethiopian opals out to dry right? I bought them submerged in water and forgot to ask seller if I am able to dry them out.
most do, but there are those that dont
I would think it was lovely if some of the natural shape was left to it and simple polished and mounted. That is one gorgeous opal. Great job as usual. Of all the videos I've watched today on this subject you dear sir are the most professional and gifted artist.
Thanks for watching! Please feel free to subscribe to our channel. As for the shapes of the opal, it just depends on the rough. We have many that we do just freeform to keep as much weight as possible. You do not want to keep any matrix/surrounding rock on the opal when cutting, because this will add stress to the gem and could cause it to crack. You can see our selection of opals, which include our feeform gems, here: www.opallust.com/opal-gemstones.html
That looked so slippery. Mr. you are very skilled. I have a teeny tiny opal on my engagement ring but one of that size here ... that would be such a dream for one of my other fingers
Thanks for watching! If you are interested, you can see our entire selection of Ethiopian Opal on our sister website www.OpalLust.com!
Thanks for sharing. Very much appreciated.
Abeed Fazal Your welcome thanks for watching
it's very facinating thing to watch and thank you for sharing !
Beautiful Gemstone. Thanks for the Video!
Thanks for watching! You can see all our cut gems on www.OpalLust.com!
I was talking about floating opal. It's shaped like a teardrop, it's called opal light it's made of glass with little chips of opal floating in oil.
Love your work...you are definitely one of the more talented people that does this I've seen on here...well done. Would love to do this it's my dream your so lucky to have all the equipment and skills to do it.
Nice job! Hope it stays almost clear like that after drying out.
+Murray Donovan Thanks! It won't stay as clear as it was during the cutting and polishing stages. If you go to 12:40 in the video ( czcams.com/video/UGOR_0LmF_4/video.htmlm40s), this is how this opal looks now that the water content has stabilized.
Good job man thanks for sharing
great gem. I love the rolling flash/broad flash and colors that Ethiopian opal has, but I am too afraid to try working it right now. the cracking issues scare me. and the whole hydrophane aspect of most of it also puts me off.
Эфиопский опал очень,очень красивый.Австралийский тоже шикарный!
Great video!
I was talking about floating opal. It's shaped like a teardrop, it's called opal light it's made of glass with little chips of opal floating in oil.
Ah I see, yes you'll have to look elsewhere, we don't have anything like that. Just cut gems.
I am good opal manufecr and you are all demand thanks mam
good job! thanks for sharing......
HEY MASTER,THANKS.
Wow....sangat bagus !!!
Saya sangat ingin memiliki opal sepperti itu 😍😍👍👍👍👍
HI, CAN YOU DO ONE ON FACETING WELO OPAL?
need to turn down when turning on machine and add subtitles
I have same
awesome video , what is the machine with the leather wheel on it at the end of the video
we cut and polish gems
MY like💎💎💎🖒🖒🤘🖒🖒🖒😁
How often does Ethiopian opal crack or shatter during the drying out process? Is there some sort of sealant to put on it to keep it from drying out?
that matrix falls off with water and a dental pick, then you can carve the whole stone or split it into 2 at the deapest cravase...
i was wondering, if i want to renew a polished piece of ethopian opal, which sand paper i should use? (just to wipe the scratches off)
(i sent this comment originally from my friends account by mistake)
i dont really have any trouble cabbing welo with diamond flex wheels etc on a cabbing machine but what about polishing more intricate carvings out of welo? can i use water soluble diamond compounds on hard felt, soft woods or leather (with cerium) at the end? welo seems to be pretty fussy to carve and finish.
A Voss, we don't do a whole lot of intricate carvings, but we do freeform carve when it is needed to get a decent yield from a piece of rough. This is an example of a carving cut from a piece of welo opal rough (czcams.com/video/KJF7w-deOzY/video.html). We don't do many because they are so difficult and require a lot of time. I start with diamond point for course work, I use cratex points from Congress tools run dry, course (ctx8c) medium and fine grits. Then diamond pacific Nova Points from 600 to 8000 or 14000 run wet. You must make sure that the entire surface is uniform before moving to finer grit. I have some hesitance with diamond compounds due to the porous nature of this opal.
I have a question for you-- Do you have a source for water soluble diamond compound and is it available without coloring? I haven't been able to find any diamond compounds that aren't colored or oil based.
Would love to find an easier way to carve as yield increases 30% and more on some material.
i know what you mean about being hesitant. i do have a source for a great highly concentrated water soluble diamond compound but its is colored. as of yet i havent seen the opal absorbing any of the color at all. www.mtmist.org. My carvings show nice color when finished but sometimes end up cloudy white. im not sure if this has anything to do with diamond compound or not. Im really just figuring out how to work with this material. A guy from facebook approached me to do odd carvings of like skulls and freeforms, cameos and such in welo, supplying the rough and splitting the auction sales.
Ive found it really challenging to work with. I bought a series of flat laps ( 600, 800, 1200, 3000) and have fabricated diamond files of different shapes to to do a lot of the smoothing and i can get a really high polish ... but its so soft the carving loses shape easily even in the finer grits if i use soft wood for a polishing medium. idk. Im fairly well known for figuring out how to carve and polish odd mineral but this welo is giving me problems lol
Id send some pictures but I dont think I can on youtube.
The reason why is depending on is the opal is water absorbent or not. When you use compound on certain opals it will absorb into the gem and cause it to become cloudy white, i believe this is why they usually use high grit sandpaper or cerium oxide rather than diamond grit pastes when it comes to that.
I have enjoyed it watching and observing him cutting opal from rough to cut and polished. It was interesting to see him using dermal at first taking all matrices and not using water. Then shaping the opal in his fingers using water I watched, when the opal was dry didn't show colour as it was wet it become a very transparent watery crystal with no colour showing it was dry and soon as the water is sprayed becomes transparent showing good flashes of colour. That shows me it's Hydrophane opal and Steve never said it was? It is finished with the nice gem Crystal opal. Also was interesting that Steve cut and finished opal holding in his fingers and not dopping, like I and other cutters cutting Australian opal using spirit lamp flame and wax to dop opal on dab stick?
What I would like to see Ethiopian opal cut and polished straight from the mines. Not like this video of Steve cutting it doesn't show a variety of opal being cut! That opal could be from Australia as it's in nuddle formation!
My mom had what she called a tear drop floating opal when I was a little girl in the 60s it had the colors similar to that one. It was stolen from her I would love to find another one before she dies.
Deanna, have you looked on our website www.OpalLust.com? Take a look at this teardrop shaped opal pendant we have available: www.opallust.com/opal-pendants/opal-pendant-7-80-carat.html
We are custom jewelers, so we could also make something to you can't quite find what you are looking for.
Let us know if you have any questions!
Nice big piece good for faceting... easy to facet because they are so soft...The bottom isn't even flat...I would use a dop stick...I have nails on my hand because of it...nice rough though...better play of color than a lot of Aussie rough...It's a pain to set rounded bottom stones... did you know you can cut all the facets with 1200 hard diamond disc, and polish all the facets at the same time with felt/cerium...leather causes rounding of the edges of the facets...you should try it... it saves a lot of time...
Hi Kim, we do facet many of these opals, but some people prefer cabs and it increases the yield on a piece of opal rough like this. In our experience high transparency opals are the best for faceting and it takes about 5 times as long to facet, so we generally will cab the less transparent opals. Setting cabs is not all that difficult if you have the right mounting and setter, which we do all our manufacturing.setting in-house as well. When faceting, if you go from 1200 to felt w/cerium when faceting, I can't imagine that you will get an optically flat facet doing it that way.
Here is an example of a high transparency Ethiopian opal that we cut: czcams.com/video/cn0m2eWq6UM/video.html -You'll see the red flash in addition to the colors that the opal disperses, which is due to the high transparency and faceting of this material.
If the 1200 is so well worn (like ,mine is) then it cuts like 3000 diamond on a hard disc...(That I need to buy)...the only facet that gives folks trouble is the table facet which require a huge amount of skill just to even get it flat at least free handed...but when you get that part down it is a cake walk from that point as the main and star facets are so small...
But I've been learning that Ethiopian Opal is Hydrophane. Wouldn't the water from the cabber start to make the colour wash out?
Edit: looks like I commented before you mentioned about the loss of colour at the end. I've been cutting Australian Opal the past few months and been hesitant on Ethiopian Opal... Looks quite flashy after the resting period.
wouldn't that curved backside make for difficulty in making a setting?
Great video. Its hard to hear where im at. I thought you where alwayse supposed to cut ethiopean dry?????? Im also very new at this.
We updated this video and it should have better audio: czcams.com/video/q3RhzIH6mRs/video.html
Do you have any videos on cutting and shining Ethiopian Chocolate Opal ?
Thankyou very instructive. Do you facet them as well?
Wow beautiful. Just getting into Opels, whenever I saw these in jewelry shops I always thought they were lab created or fake. Unreal how beautiful these are. Wouldn't it be a good move to buy some nice ethiopian opals now considering the mine is new and they are plentiful??
StraitClownin909
Yes It is what I am doing.
I find that a significant portion of the rough (perhaps as much as 50%) develops cracks when it initially hydrates. I let it go, separate it along the cracks, and end up with several smaller stones as a result. Do you experience this, too?
Hey Elliot! In our experience some will crack, but for us it was only about 30%.
Did it crack afterwards?
Mine keep displaying cracks after cabbing, what about that stone, what made it different, why didn't ti crack?
30% crack just the nature of the material.
Very skilled work. Many of my ethiopian opals crack while or shortly aftercutting wet.
Does it help to prevent cracking if the opal is cut and polished dry?
20 % will crack no matter what you do. Make sure you get rid of all non Opal from the rough without stopping then cut.
I need help! I have the most beautiful stone that looks like its encasedwith rainbow glitter, with one side having more red, and the other side more blue and green but both still having all colors. However, it only shows the color thru the entire stone when i is slightly wet. (Not all the way as it turns almost transparent when completely soaked) anyway, i tried grinding down a little further and have gotten no better color showing. And i am saddened to have wasted what i did trying to get to the color. When the stone is slightly wet, with just the first 1/2 mm turning transparent, the entire stone just gliters and shines like a disco ball. Is there a way to keep that color? Im so desperate. Please help.
Hi Steve! What type of vacuum device do you use to suction out the dust during your initial process of grinding off the dirt, and what type of bur do you use in the handpiece?
From experience I know that most of these guys don't use anything like that. They might wear a surgical mask, but they usually grind off the surface somewhere where they don't have to care about the dust, like outside.
I didn't think you were supposed to use water with these opals, someone said the color would go away. I just have a couple of small opals so I would never get all these machines so I was looking into how to get them to look nice again after using a Dremel and having taken what you call matrix off. To me it looks like sand:) So I was afraid to put water on it and it just looks dusty:) I actually like them much better with all those different sides on them and not rounded like that and I have a couple of them and they would look great in a chain but I have been afraid to drill a hole in them thinking they may shatter.
MissWitchiepoo Color loss is temporary. Drilling is risky.
Wondering if I can do this all by hand with a file and some polish
It’s difficult but possible. I have done it..
i dont really have any trouble cabbing welo with diamond flex etc on a cabbing machine but what about polishing more intricate carvings out of welo? can i use water soluble diamond compounds on hard felt, soft woods or leather (with cerium) at the end? welo seems to be pretty fussy to carve and finish.
What is the hand tool called? 48 seconds in the video. I'm looking for something like that
Foredom
kingsleynorth.com/new-foredom-micro-motor-1070.html
Hi I was wondering if you ever work with virgin valley opals? Do you have any information on how to stabilize virgin valley opal?
Hello thank you for this video, and sharing your insights. Im having a blast trying to find the best way to cut this opal but it's so hard to get your hands on rough material. It's confusing to me because I always end up talking to some indian guy for what ever reason when trying to buy opal from Welo, Africa??? No matter how hard I search, there just doesnt seem to be anything but asian distributors, also some indians/malaysians in germany who have set up shop. Please help, I am finding it hard to trust these people, they seem so desperate to make a deal with me which is a huge red flag in my book.. what sort of suppliers do you deal with?
Mineralmike.com has some nice select welos.
How much does it cost?
Hello and congrats on the finished product... Do you use any specific drying process for welo? Just wondering if slowing the drying may result in less cracks... Thank you
Cracks don’t generally happen during drying mostly while cutting.
Being hydrophane do you ever find that the opal absorbs any of the cerium? Thank you!
Hey how do I get my courts cut and polished
is there any way of fixing the wet look of it? I kid of like it more.
ermennda only if you don’t polish it.
i just cut a 103 carat welo and down to 63 carats, kept chipping on me... when i was on the wheel had to switch to a stiff pad steel pad... glad i started with a large rough... but still has pitts in the surface... ugh!
Stefan Premdas yield on this material is 25-35%. Typically under 40 carat for your opal
You skipped the most important part of cutting Ethiopian opal, the drying out process that keeps it from cracking or crazing during the dry out. I know how but most people do not.
Duane, can you share your drying process? I'm in the middle of cutting my first Ethiopian opal.
I have a question about polishing opal using an oil based diamond. Is it possible to submerge the finished opal in acetone to remove the diamond dust and oil?
I don’t know I use attack solvent regularly when I facet opal. Soap and water should work.
Have you had any experience stabilizing finished stones so the stay translucent...instead of going white? That wasssss my biggest problem...I almost gave up completely until I solved the mystery...
I tried stabilizing with opticon a few years ago, not sure I did it right, didn't work for me. What is your solution?
The only thing besides water that didn't cause crazing was Glycerin.
The name please of this machine?
Steve, your rough shaping process with no water would make me feel uncomfortable with all of the silica dust you are generating in an enclosed space. How do you protect yourself from silicosis in the future?
Oh yeah I learned about that in my 10hour osha course! Nasty stuff, you're supposed to wear a fitted mask I forget what type or level though.
Are you removing the matrix with no water and diamond bits? What speed is the dremel on? Thanks!
+fegbri Steve is out of the office for about a week, I will get an answer for you when he returns. I know he does not use water during this process, and yes, they are diamond bits. For the speed, I will have to ask him when he gets back.
Is there a way to do this with a dremmel? And can you polish with a dremmel? I am very new to this so if there is what bits would I use? Thanks so much! It's beautiful!
+Lauren Ashley Hard to get a good shape with a dremel. They are good for sculpting but not cabs.
It is possible to cut and polish with a dremel but it does take along time. Just get a diamond disk to cut the shape of the stone, then get diamond paste (Amazon has it) and put it on wool polishing wheels. I have successfully cut and polish Emeralds, Rubies and Iolite. Hope it helps.
It's not that hard. Get a bigger diamond disc with the mounting pin, cut one side flat and mount the stone on to a dop stick, then you can easily make cabochons with just a dremel and some skills.
Hi, what are the official names and technical names for the tools you used? Like for the hand tool and the belts
The hand tool was a foredom micromotor kit and the you can search for cabbing machine or a Lapidary Grinder Polisher.
Thank you for the reply. I'm making progress with my faceting, but i'm having problems removing scratches at the polishing stage. I'm using Cerium Oxide on different metal laps(Aluminium,Copper,Tin-Plate)but without 100% success. I am cleaning everything thoroughly,after pre-polishing on 1500-grit emery paper. Have you any idea why the scratches keep showing?
What type of abrasive is that 1200-grit belt. Is it something like garnet paper?
+Alan Jackson All the belts are diamond, except for the final polish.
Your website returns a warning that it’s a hacked site. Just FYI
what is the hand held tool you used to start with? what is the brand and the name of the tool?
Dagmawi Mengistu it is by “foredom”
My opal had brilliant colors then
went clear. Can you tell me what I did wrong
Joe R
If it is Ethiopian and you got it very wet it will go clear, get milky then in several days the color will return.
Thank you!
You don’t use a dop stick?
I find it easier and I don’t have to worry about heat issues with glue or solvent with epoxy.
@@Moregems you don’t find it a limitation to only be capable of working with pieces over the 12mm ish range?
Wow 32% material lost is scary nice Wello.
Phil More often 50 -60% loss.
what if you cut it like a gem stone?
We do that alot with this material. It's an opal source that is able to be faceted. Much of the more transparent material when faceted, will have a red flash in addition to the colors of the opal that is due to the faceting. You can see one of our faceted opals here: czcams.com/video/IOBGnGR-uSk/video.html
UNIVERSE IN THE STONE AND STONES IN THE UNIVERSE . ALL MATERIALS FROM THE BIGBANG. AFTER:RAINBOW COLOURS.
How do you get training to cut and polish opals?
+Octet Fan Other than watching the video and trying it yourself, you can check to see if you have any local lapidary groups in your area. If you have access to the equipment, just watch the video and do it. :)
hdmi to 3rca
🌐🌍❗❗🙋💎😵❗❗🌹🙌🔛😱📣Magic work 😵🔛✔