Black opal rough ,most opal sellers take picture of the rough black opal dipped in water so the image will expose the colours of the stone as if it was polished. Buyer will receive the opal rough in a dry condition.
Black opal rough is hard to find now as many black opal mine s have closed and many are finding semi black grey rough or crystal opal rough
10 years ago production was high in Cochran opal fields or Glengarry, Shipyards but production is down now as not many new leases have been opened by the mines department. The Cochran opal field had good reputation for knobby opals as these opal rocks sometimes produced gem black opals of high grade and body tone of N1 which is rare to find in the opal fields of today.
Download free screensaver titled Hidden Treasures From Black Opal rough which shows a rough nobby as it is worked and cut to the three finished gem opal stones .
.the opal miner can be seen working his opal mine and cutting and polishing these opals.
All opal cutters dream of just once in their lifetimes of finding such a gem opal in parcel of rough virgin opal.
Generally opal rough is sold by Ounce or grams and rare to find parcel now that hasn’t been sniped by miner as chance of letting a valuable opal go in a parcel, Virgin opal rough parcels are harder to find and there is a chance in virgin parcel of opal rough that you will find a gem fire black opal Black opal beads can be made from black opal rough but it is hard to obtain colour all around the opal unless it is crystal opal.
Good black opal rough opal parcels should only be cut by Opal professionals as the chance of new opal cutter rubbing good opal colour away is high. we suggest new opal cutters get good lapidary equipment and practise on smaller parcels before cutting good opal rough .Source your black rough singe opals direct from opal miners and opal wholesalers and dealers for your single rough gem opal from lightning ridge Australia.
The Lightning Ridge opal show, home of the black opal Australian opal is held every august with every second year a jewellery competition and are building a Opal and Fossil Centre Only a few black opal mines are open cut as very expensive most miners are worked by teams in traditional methods but with vacuum blowers agitators and jack hammers. Old opal fields have been worked out like in Cochran and Glengarry but there’s are still miners looking for opal pockets of that elusive black opal gem!
Most opal miners will exchange rough opal if buyer is not satisfied with parcel but if buyer snips or works and opal the parcel is yours and cannot be returned.
Opal miners ,opal suppliers and opal wholesalers offer rough opal direct from opal mine or opal cutters factory but opal mines stop work before Christmass and some in November as temperature is too hot and working conditions are hot and dusty, some opal miners do not start work till April so always plan ahead if you need opal rough to cut and polish>black potch is good to trial to see how good your polish is before cabbing good quality black rough Nobbys. Black potch is also ideal to polish for making doublet or triplet bases a s potch is the bedrock that opals forms on. Potch can also be grey colour with grey back banded patterns in the rough Australia opal suppliers have had years of experience in cutting black opal rough so always ask question if not sure how to cut and polish
