Eight New "Pre-photo" Bonus Opals

|OWL+MADE|

I cut the opals listed here in our shop. Cutting opals is not like cutting other gemstones. With most gemstones, you try to force them to me what you want them to be. With opals you must discover what they were meant to be. Before you start to cut, you must plan what you think that direction will be, but you must be ready to change your mind if the stone is not really like your original guess. With the best precious opals, the final shape is determined by the original shape of the precious fire layer. Many opals are a three dimensional maze of fire. Almost every opal rough stone is an adventure!

Because we cut our own opals, we can sell the completed gemstones at a fraction of what they would be at retail. The prices quoted are actually below a normal wholesale price. This is possible because a number of layers in the distribution path eliminated. Normally the cutter sells to the importer who sells to distributers who sell to high volume wholesalers who sell to the jewelry stores who sell to the end user. With our opals, the cutter sells direct to the end users. Because I cut the opals myself, they will never be available in large quantity. You also get opals cut according to my intention expressed above. When you buy an opal that I have cut, you may ask me to include a story of how your specific opal came to be. No extra charge. I like to talk about opals.

Very Bright Green/Blue Broad-Flash Crystal Opal

Weight - 4.32 carats
Length - 19.5 mm
Width - 9.9 mm
Thickness - 3.8 mm (thickest spot)
Shape - Freeform Kite-shaped
Code OPL155

This is a very bright to intense opal. It has a series of beautiful broad-flash patterns that change color and shape as the opal is turned or rotated. The largest portion of this opal is an intense green that changes to cyan and blue when it is moved. There also are a number of areas that usually stay very bright blue or intense cyan. The depth of precious opal is almost the full thickness of this opal. This yields a series of three dimensional effects as the opal is moved and the colors shift.

The face and sides of this opal are perfect and the shape is an interesting free-form kite-shape. There were a couple of cutting marks left on the bottom that have no effect on the face of the opal. This opal will make a lovely pendant or possibly a ring.

This opal was cut from a white base rough opal with darker backing matrix. It was mined in the Coober Pedy region of Australia. There were two bright precious opal bands in the original rough stone. OPL156 was the other layer although it is not nearly the equal of this gemstone.

Retail Value: About $125 to $175 per carat ($540 to $750).

Starting Price (Until the photos are made): $145.

Very Bright Semi-black Mintubi Green/Blue Broad-Flash Opal

Weight - 8.91 carats
Length - 20.8 mm
Width - 10 mm
Thickness - 5.8 mm (thickest spot)
Shape - Freeform Long Shield (or Cut-off Oval)
Code OPL158

This opal has a thick precious layer with intense green-gold fire. When the opal is moved, the fire appears to move around within this layer. There also is a very intense yellow-gold and a very bright cyan/blue broad-flash fire in this opal. The 3-D effect of fire is quite attractive. The precious layer is thick enough that it could have been split into two opals, but I do not like to do that.

Below the grey crystal precious fire layer there is a base of dark grey (semi-black to black) that gives the fire contrast. To preserve the contrast, this opal is cut a little thicker than it otherwise would have been. The quoted prices reflect the fact that the opal has been cut thick.

This gemstone should be a pendant stone with the flat part of the shield on the top. In that position the fire is the brightest. Many are not familiar with the fact that opals with a thick fire layer often have a "best" angle of display.

This opal was cut from dark grey rough opal that was mined in the Mintubi region of Australia. Many of the worlds best green/blue opals come from that region.

Retail Value: (Reduced by 20% to account for the thicker base) About $100 to $150 per carat - Difficult to Estimate ($750 - $1100).

Starting Price (Until the photos are made): $145.

Semi-Black Opal with Bright Blue/Green Pin-Fire

Weight - 2.07 Carats
Length - 14.5 mm
Width - 6.0 mm
Thickness - 4.0 mm
Shape - Long Free-form Oval (Almost Pear-shaped)
Code - OPL148

This opal is covered with very bright blue pin-fire sparks along with some green (especially at an angle). The base is a dark-grey called a semi-black. The contrast between the base and the sparks is very good because of the opaque black base. The unusual base is described fully in the next paragraph.

The base and "structure" are rather unusual. First of all the bottom of the opal is a course white almost sandy matrix. Above that layer is a layer of dark black that makes the colors of the sparks stand out in high contrast. The precious opal layer is a medium-to-dark grey. One tiny piece of the sandy base matrix is visible on the side of the opal but not directly from the top. The overall effect of this opal is almost like a natural doublet opal, but it is all sold opal.

This opal was cut from rough opal that was mined in the Coober Pedy region of Australia. In some ways this opal is more similar to that opal dark-grey opal found in the near-by Mintubi region of Australia.

Retail Price: About $90 per carat ($180). (This estimated price per carat has the thicker base and the matrix inclusion factored in.)

Starting Price (Until the photos are made): $29.
This opal is on hold.

Grey Opal with Bright Blue/Green Pin-Fire

Weight - 1.32 Carats
Length - 9.9 mm
Width - 7 mm
Thickness - 2.5 mm
Shape - Free-form Pear-shaped
Code - OPL157

This opal has a series of very bright green and bright blue flashes. From some angles this pin-fire takes on a cyan color. A lot of color passes through this opal especially in bright light. This would make a nice ring or pendant stone.

This is an interesting opal with a grey base. It was cut from the grey base opal of the Mintubi region of Australia. It was cut a little thinner than it should have been. There is a cutting mark left on the bottom center that will show through the stone if it is held directly in front of a bright light.

Retail Value: About $50 to $75 per carat ($65 to $100.).

Starting Price (Until the photos are made): $25.

Pin-Fire Opal with Bright Yellow-green Fire

Weight - 2.31 Carats
Length - 15.2 mm
Width - 8.9 mm
Thickness - 3.7 mm
Shape - Free-form Pear or Triangle Shape
Code - OPL151

This pear (or triangle) has a series of bright to very bright yellow-green to green lines of sparks that spiral out diagonally across the surface. At certain angles yellows and blues also are visible.

This is an attractive white based opal. It was cut from the white opal of the Coober Pedy region of Australia. There are two white inclusions that are visible when looking through the opal into a bright light. These are no problem in the opal, and under normal light they are mixed with a yellow-orange fire of their own.

Retail Value: About $60 to $100 per carat ($150 to $230).

Starting Price (Until the photos are made): $29.

Bright Blue Pin-Fire Opal

Weight - 1.60 carats
Length - 9.9 mm
Width - 8 mm
Thickness - 4 mm (thickest spot)
Shape - Freeform Pear or Triangle Shaped
Code OPL156

This opal has a series of bright to moderate blue pin-fire. As the opal is moved, different areas of the surface pin-fire come into view. This opal was the second band of precious opal with OPL155 above. While this opal is not nearly as intense, it has a charm of its own.

This is an attractive white based opal. It was cut from the white opal of the Coober Pedy region of Australia.

Retail Value: About $50 to $60 per carat ($80 to $100).

Starting Price (Until the photos are made): $25. SOLD!

Broad Flash Opal with Bright Pearly-Blue Fire

Weight - .73 Carats
Length - 7.2 mm
Width - 4.7 mm
Thickness - 3 mm
Shape - Free-form Rectangle
Code - OPL154

This is an unusual opal. The rough stone had an attractive bright pearly-blue sheen/fire. When we were planning how to cut this opal, we decided we liked it just as it was. The sides were cut to a reasonable shape based on the original stone. The face of this opal has a rolling slope with the natural bright blue on the surface. We decided not polish it further. Some things are best left alone.

This is an interesting opal with a grey base. It was cut from the grey base opal of the Mintubi region of Australia.

Retail Value: About $60 to $75 per carat ($45 to $55).

Starting Price (Until the photos are made): $22.

Last Updated Nov-13-2002