Lapidary / Gemstone Community Forum

While not really a cab, its also no carving.  lol15 All I did is remove all the dirt that I could reach, the resulting shape is basically of natures design.  toofunny2

A few months ago. I was gifted some opals for carving, and after cleaning up as far as I dared, I left them sit for a while. Last week, I started digging into a piece that seemed good for practice and dug out all the dirt I could get at.

Now, I'm left with what I call an Australian Swiss Cheese!
(https://gemstone.smfforfree4.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1200.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fbb340%2Fkainzerkurt%2FCarving%25202014%2FAustraliancheese_zps7a87c4c4.jpg&hash=876f008e76b9862521f461db4b4c9f38) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/Carving%202014/Australiancheese_zps7a87c4c4.jpg.html)

After some more cleaning up and basic polish, this is what I'm looking at:
(https://gemstone.smfforfree4.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1200.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fbb340%2Fkainzerkurt%2FCarving%25202014%2Fopal3small_zpsfce7ea21.jpg&hash=409b5b62f8dd67ed37a190ae849a244b) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/Carving%202014/opal3small_zpsfce7ea21.jpg.html)

And here once more, back and front and up-side down for good meassure
(https://gemstone.smfforfree4.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1200.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fbb340%2Fkainzerkurt%2FCarving%25202014%2FOpal2small_zpsed0c8c0c.jpg&hash=223d7993f7b33db2d7e4a6953d383fe3) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/Carving%202014/Opal2small_zpsed0c8c0c.jpg.html)

It turned out a crazy shape and needs some more actual cleaning after going maybe another round or two at polishing. Its chaotic, and fire covers most surfaces from one angle or another, plus comes in at 20ct. Like it, that one will surely remain mine!

Yipie, my first opal done! Finally!

Thanks for looking, Kurt

that is a crazy mad shape!  I bet it looks fabulous in the hand.  Is it round or flattish?  I'm curious as to how you would use it in some jewellery.

After you get it finished with polishing I would simply prong mount it on a solid sterling backing.  By prong mounting you won't obscure any of the rest of the piece.   The only other option is finding someone to put a very fine wire wrap around it that again, won't obscure the detail of the piece.

that is some crazy looking asteroid you created yes16 got to be a hole somewhere near the edge you can put a ring, string, or other mount through; maybe find a place to do the moari tie on it.

You're a patient man, Kurt.  Those black opal nobbys can yield the world's finest precious opal and they can also be very frustrating because they're often so sand-shot.  I've "excavated" quite a few of them in similar fashion and it's always disappointing when beautiful opal traces lead into a maze of voids that can't yield a solid stone.  I've worked up a few beautiful pieces but haven't yet figured out a way to set them because, like your piece, they're so fragile.  My subconscious is still working on that  dunno28

Be sure to give us follow-ups on your progress.  Maybe your creativity and dedication will give my old subconscious an inspirational nudge.

I don't know enough about casting to know the answer, but could you make a mold to custom fit this and them create a casting?

Looks like it would make a great suiseki stone.

Hi Kerry, I've done a lot of wax work and casting and that's certainly a possible approach, maybe the best one.  Whatever's done it will have to be a setting designed to absorb hard knocks while protecting the stone yet leaving it visible.  Opal's very brittle, like glass, and it doesn't take much of an impact to break it.  I'm interested to see how Kurt approaches the problem.   

cover it in resin hide35 hide35 hide35 hide35 LOL

I had to look it up to be sure what you meant but right now a display piece like that makes a lot of sense to me, at least for the ones I've done.     

Thank you for the kind words. yippie24


In the set of 4 pictures, the first and last shows a flat, and the second and third shows the rounded side.

As for setting: Have no idea what do do for setting. dunno28
As it will be worn by myself, I'm thinking of using some stronger parts on top (picture 4 in set of 4). There are two holes that might support a cord. As I'm not a very active person anymore; that should suffice if not worn together with something else. But, it would have to come off, when sleeping.  lol15

Absolutely agree Tim,

If it where just a little bigger, its big for this type of material as such, but still immensely small for a viewing-stone. It has all the hallmarks for it, and endless angles to see shapes invoking all sorts of images.

Eventually, I suppose, that's what it will end up as. shucks1

I'm wondering if you could make some kind of cage so it's supported but also protected?  maybe if it's in two halves with soldered tendrils and then connected together around the stone with wire wrapping?  Murrle Bennett used to cage pearls like this: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDc4WDYxMg==/z/nI4AAOxydlFSpgZg/$_35.JPG
so something similar might work in this case?

Either way, it looks fabulous.

That's what I was wondering, if it was big enough.  The shape immediately suggested suiseki (viewing stone) and I saw many images, but it was hard to tell the scale.  Still, it wouldn't be a bad thing if that's what you wound up doing with it.

A beautiful stone, well done, in any case.

If you do that I would love to see your results, I'm sure the collection would be terrific.

A rotating pedestal with bottom lighting set in front of a mirror.

I can't imagine any jewelry setting that would adequately protect it without interfering with the play of light which is what makes this such a beautiful piece.

Exactly. Nearly everything I have done to-date, needs movement in order to really see what attracted me to it in the first place.  lol15 This piece is no different.
While not as "in the face" exiting, without being back-lit, it does have some strong color-spots and is still covered in flashes. But they are subtle and come from a variety of angles, so it would still need uninhibited movement.

On to the next one, but this time with some actual carving, and this one will be strong enough to be set in quite a number of ways.

Just cleaned off all the sand I can reach today, and somehow, I think a mermaid could be hiding in there.

(https://gemstone.smfforfree4.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1200.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fbb340%2Fkainzerkurt%2FCarving%25202014%2FAnna5small_zps74de89e6.jpg&hash=abb7f9c6c98389373ef03cac6ce6120f) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/Carving%202014/Anna5small_zps74de89e6.jpg.html)

So will see what that leads to. :)

That is very pretty but like others have mentioned, very fragile to be worn as jewelry, best off as a display piece. The one that you are working on now may do better as an actual piece of jewelry.

OMG back on the first page top right pic. My instant thought was The thinker..isn't there a great carving called that?