Parcels put together so that those just exploring the wonders of Opal can gain experience of value without wasting money and rough beyond their present needs.
The scans give an accurate representation of what is in the parcel you will receive, in fact, there is more color than they can pick up and we never scan the best parcels in a lot.

We encourage you to email any questions you have while learning -- we will answer as quickly and helpfully as we can.

... Note item number to order ! In this category fully representative sample parcels are pictured, the parcel you get will be as good or better!

B1 $29.95 ... A good place to start ... it is NOT wise to begin cutting better opal until you have a feel for it and big colorless cracky potch is just plain discouraging. Opal is much softer than most cab rough, bits of matrix and cracks & crevices need be reckoned with, color is usually in an area that may run at strange angles ... lots to deal with and approach slowly ... just remember that the rewards will come in time and be real satisfying! This is over half ounce (75 carats plus!) of material that does have solid opal and will just give needed cutting practice.
This is workable! Beware of great deals on opal too thin to work or opal full of mud and cracks .... not good to start with total junk :)
Some will give you usable cabs - we often forget that opal polishes to a lovely cab with little or no fire! Chunky pieces to learn about grinding/sanding/polishing opal and dealing with the matrix... a bit of this is real thin or small but lets you see some fire! ... just work it some on your sander and maybe go to 3000 grit to learn some about color, for that after all is the key to Opal. The images are the best we can do, and this time they are not too far off ... a typical lot, each lot will be different! Hopefully you can see that there are some good thick, clean pieces so that you can truly do some cab work in opal ... An honest deal at $29.95.

B2 - our own beginners' guide to cutting Opal. It covers all the basics and INCLUDES unlimited email support to clarify anything which is unclear, or to help with particular pieces/cuts which present problems not covered ... It is IMPORTANT that you have some guide to working opal! No other material prepares you for opal (there are books on the subject and most lapidary clubs have some instruction available for opal - our guide attempts to condense all the essentials for those who have no other resource) ... B2 $8.95

B3 The next step, plus! Most of these are pieces with some color to work with and learn from. The emphasis is on beginning to work with color rather than bigger pieces of potch (opal with little or no fire). As you move into solid opal with fire cost per ounce rises alot - a solid 1 gm. piece with good color can cost from $15-$30 median (the very best can cost $150 a carat! but is not even on most markets). The images are of a typical lot - each lot will be different, but truly comparable.
Absolutely, the key to cutting opal is learning to work to the color, but not past the color.
It is often sensible to cut freeform cabs, even on the face using a foredom. Most people are usually looking for color rather than shape, as long as the shape is smooth and pleasing.Try it all, learn before you approach expensive rough.

There is in each of these lots a piece which will cut a good commercial quality cabochon with color.

At least 1/3oz (55+ carats) of solid opal, cuttable, "cabable" ... with a good commercial quality piece! plus 20+ carats of smaller fiery stuff for the kids or bubble pendants (aka pendant vials). Color in every piece. B3 $59.95

The last 3 images are of the piece that will yield a good quality gem. What makes it good? The base is a good pure white free of flaw or matrix inclusions. There is a fire band which can be orientated fairly easily and is thick enough to ensure color across the face of a low dome cab, unless you get real reckless. The bottom will be flat and solid. Properly polished the cab will show a loverly blend of colors in an attractive base. These are poor images! Sorry, but such is my photography skill. The base in these pieces is a nice clean white, no matter how it looks in some of these pix. This is a piece from one of the parcels - each parcel will have a comparable piece. It can often come as a surprise how important a clean, solid, attractive base is to the finished gem. Great fire in an ugly matrix included base does not begin to rival a clean gleaming gem! (You will likely see that with another of the pieces in this lot ... usable and fiery, but with matrix included - not as precious as the clean gem which this best piece will give you. It is also common for a nice piece to just be too thin, or for the base to have cracks in it ... opal is not the easiest material to buy, which is why we guarantee a good quality piece in each of these parcels.

MORE ROUGH

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