I cut these Black Opal drops from the jeweler's rough material
Many folks are under the impression that fine gems look like an ordinary rock and the gem cutter who is the one who can 'turn it into' a fine gemstone by revealing what is 'hidden inside'. When I am asked about that, I tell people that sometimes a gem buyer has an idea of what they will get but it is always a gamble. Most of the time the piece of raw material will look nice but will end up having more flaws and less color than they were hoping for. One can never tell for sure until after the stone is cut. There is always some amount of a gamble in having rough gem materials cut.
On some very rare occasions a piece of rock which did not look nice on the outside ended up looking very nice after the gem was cut. That was the case with this piece of Black Opal material. It did not look very nice on the outside but the jeweler who purchased it took the gamble and it paid off big for him.
Below, you will see photos and description of the cutting process.
