Opal Prrawn... Oh! MY! Bare Nakid Opals Playing Volleyball!!

[Artfldgr]

Forgive forgive I am in a bit of a playful mood today... lots going on, the past few years being pretty hard between family members on my wife and my side going to join the choir triumphant, some work issues, and all those things cause life is what happens to you when your making other plans.

Today we ended up a bit early. Its cold... the sun was bright and unlike yesterday, no clouds to drive one nuts when shooting opal.
Over the years I have been trying to perfect taking the most scrumptious and scrumpdillyicious images which one would love to have even if one didnt have the stone..

First, every one that shows up gets an Opal Rough Screen Background...

If you prefer we do have a cast of finished players

By the way, I am so glad i held onto them for more than a year as they are stable, but lots of red appears now
that wasn't there right after cutting. anyone else find this out...
(though a year may be much - at least i know they are very stable).


We have to somehow describe and value this one... its one of if not the best cut one i have so far...
like, what would you call the pattern... to me it looks (sometimes) like a artist palette with smudged paint
and given its appearance i have no idea how rare or not it is, other than i have not seen it, but i haven't seen a lot...
it weighs 3.97ct have to put some kind of value down on the form... no? they wont let me put infinite, nor a sideways 8... not fair.

Its really cool the deep blue shows up with the red and other colors (but its definitely red dominated)

here is the back to show the quality

More to come when i have time to post more Opal Prawn...
lots of images but im hungry

[PinkDiamond]

That's a real beauty and a nice size, Art. OpalSupreme is big into patterns so hopefully he'll see this and give you his opinion.

[Artfldgr]

Thanks, here are some more (all same stone)..
2.05ct

[SwordfishMining]

I couldn't tell you. People have hit me up about Virgin Valley patterns & I cant match them or make them up. Fields of Fire for a solid layer of plumes growing up is the unique one I can think of. (Think of the Magnifica from the Opal Negra mine.)

[Artfldgr]

I dont know... but i do know it should be worth more than i paid as rough..
some new rough coming in as my dad died year before last, and last year my wifes father died
so we could not celebrate our 10th anniversary...
but now its a new year, we can, and i want to cut her another top o da line opal
so i arranged for what i hope will be something special... though you know, it may be the same old, but wink wink nod added for nothing.

i noticed that the prices for cut stones has come down a lot
but the price of rough is up...

any comments from anyone would be welcome.

[PinkDiamond]

That's another sweet one, and I like the high dome, Art. It has been amazing to me that rough has gone so high, and yet cut stones can be had for a reasonable price if you search for them, so I imagine they are either old stock that was bought when the cost of rough was much lower, or they're taking a beating on them and won't be able to stay in business if they can't get more for finished goods.

[SwordfishMining]

The price of cut stones is a derivative of the market and investments whereas rough costs dollars up front to produce new material (well so does new cutting) or it stops every district for itself. The old material just shuffles in as a bargain or I guess as proven for top dollar in the current market. Investments or needs achieved. Demand has not really gone away overall I dont think, just money to satisfy it.

[Artfldgr]

[kjsspot]

can wait to see your finished choice!

[Artfldgr]

here are some more..
doling them out, wouldnt want someone to OD

about 22.78ct [the two pieces in the first post are 18.12ct and 24.41ct]

here are four i found in a small box...