Slow Opal

[SwordfishMining]

Its kinda funny how different opals can be different densities. Ive taken stills from more than one movie as a "frame".
Scott at the Opal Negra has been cuttng & set some of what I call American boulder opal. Ill have to get a few shots. Ive never polished many i got. I usually make the claim buyer do all the digging and some are well, artists. He does while I prospect & talk.

[skywalker753]

Hey that'd be great to see some American Boulder Opal!

[skywalker753]

I have a good one that is sure to confuse anyone reading, because it confused the bejabbers out of me! OK, its a nice matrix opal, and the way I catagorized it is as follows: (only MY catagorization!!! not anything official...lol...)
OK, large catagory, its an Australian Matrix Opal.
Narrow it down a bit and its also a Queensland Matrix Opal. By origin its not an Andamooka Matrix Opal. Also by appearance its also not an Andamooka matrix opal.
A bit more narrowing and its a Boulder Matrix Opal.....OR a classic Fairy Opal.
Although it has a few largeish patches of some typical Boulder matrix opal, it has MORE typical "Fairy Dust" typical to whats called a fairy opal.
Its a Fairy Opal!!!
I don't know....look, theres nobody here telling me precisely what it is, so just doing the best I can with the info I got...lol... its got great sparkle and color (full rainbow) in hand, the pic is what it is!
Anyways, its pretty, and pretty big too. Here it is:

[skywalker753]

Oh, its carbonized and polished. Any guesses on the carat weight??? I forgot to weigh it, and will later if anyones interested...

[SwordfishMining]

Ive got a ice chest full of opalized "cat litter" somewhere

[PinkDiamond]

Ive got a ice chest full of opalized "cat litter" somewhere

I have no idea on its size or dimensions, but that's a really nice opal and it shows the full spectrum of colors. Good one!

[skywalker753]

Well, its 32.3 length, 23.3 width, and 3.75 thick (in mm)
Sun came out during lunch! Took another pic, maybe its better, dunno... And its 19.52 carats.
I mean, its no big deal, just showing some matrix...lol...

[skywalker753]

OK, I have got selected my next Andamooka matrix opal to work on and cut. Tomorrow I'll take a couple pics just to post of the rough before I do anything to it. It doesn't look too promising rough and dry. I think that it will end up good! We'll see. Depending, I may leave some of it rough for later, and do maybe two smaller pieces. I have some wet/dry still, but not all grits so I may have to stock up first thing. I think I will get some new felt for the cerium too. And crack open a new maple syrup container for the sugar solution (the old solution is still plenty sugary, but it can mold over time if it sits).
OK, well at least its a plan! The matrix itself always has a say in things...lol...

[skywalker753]

So you're probably gonna think what I thought too... but this KIND of thing happens all the time with rough in solid opal and matrix opal. Colors are very muted, dull, and you gotta really look to see them sometimes. Colors that seem to be present are green, yellow, orange, and blue. I'll know for sure once I get it wet, but haven't done that yet...
The pics are the weight, front, and back. Hopefully get a couple of hours to work on it today. We will see! Gotta get supplies at some point too.

[SwordfishMining]

If I wasn't busy with bringing rocks home (Yesterday was no rocks at all, how appalling) it has been a load of debris failed miners left. I need about 5 more buyers to be working the deposits I have to work to produce things to buy. Black is black, 5 bright is 5 bright, & matrix is unique to each district. Until the modern rush, when it comes, the world is going to survive on all the craftsman jewellery the rockhounds make.

Personally I'll leave the opal undug if I would have to sell it cheaper than treated African just to be "rich". Dont get me wrong, a client just opened up a pay level we had been mining by hand with a D-7 & found out why we dont use cats on the pay level. Scott & I have 4 claims that surround him we'd sell you with that same pay level running across, but people usually stopped at the logs. Yes, I sell prospects with mines that are not dug yet. This place was never termited like Coober Pedy or Lightning Ridge looking for pockets.

Im sorry if I dont sell "good looking dry rough" for pennies on the dollar compare to similar quality gem rough. Since we dont have a hundred mines with thousand people with ten thousand oz trying to sell it to you everywhere, There are only a few of us who set the "non auction" prices in stores. When you are publishing prices as the only retail outlet, you get price slashed by those with no stores or skin in the game. Takes away the incentives to tear up a good wildlife refuge. Good thing it is gem opals & fossils, as finding them and having them are rewards in themselves.

I don't really know why I care about the market for us more than just myself, and I adopt the mining district as my turf, but it probably has to do with being slandered for 3 decades..