My great Aunt had a jewelry business in the San Diego, and she loved working with opal. I am not sure where she got the majority of her opal, but I remember she did travel to Australia to buy rough opals that she could cut and polish. It's been a long time, but I remember she showed me a ring she made for her older sister ( another great Aunt ) to celebrate her cancer going into remission. She lived almost 20 years after that time...and the other one got Parkinson's disease and passed quickly. I love watching you take an opal in the rough and making something spectacular from it! You're an amazing artist!

I have a friend who does chalk art - in fact he travels to Australia for this frequently. When he begins a new piece he starts with colours you'd never expect like dark greens and blues. I asked him once why he does that and he explained that he needs those colours as a base to bring out the natural hues in the skin tone of the subject he's painting. I was always floored that he could perceive those details. I get the same feeling when I see you examining a rough opal. How you notice a little line of black or a glint of colour that leads you to a conclusion I never could have come to...well it's a joy to watch an artist ply his trade!

When this guy says, "Well, it's time to get back to the old grind," he really means it. GREAT AS ALWAYS!

I really enjoy watching a true craftsman at his trade, I've watched several of your clips and enjoy them immensely .

I don't object to treated gems and minerals as long as they are not sold as natural. Keep up the good work. God bless

Honesty is always appreciated in any negotiation. Many people love the colors of opal but don't have the price, so they seek more affordable forms of opal. I consider these options essential to keeping a person's hopes alive for achieving higher value opal. Especially black opal. We can't all afford it, but we can sure admire the beauty of it, thanks to you. God bless.

I love your integrity and honesty in everything that you do. Thank you for being a shining example to us!

It's wonderful that you don't treat them. Kudos for having integrity!

Your work is pure inspiration, filled with all the most important feelings of suspence, momentum, turningpoints, mid-points, plots and decision making . . . you are a role model and quite an exceptional opal yourself. Thank you for all the great work in HIGH SPIRITS of JOY & RELEVANCE.

Sitting in my Jeep in the pouring rain, thunder and lightning and loving this episode!

Watching you exercise your gift is truly an amazing pleasure.

I started watching you 6months ago and i fell in love with opals and was fascinated with the skill and thought it takes to cut them, love your show and you really are the Bob Ross of opal.I was so inspired I went and bought my own lapidary equipment. Thanks

With my limited equipment cutting beryls, saphire, and spinel, I can get a clean cabochon. but I learned from you Justin to always inspect your piece for any remaining scratches between steps and get off any left over residue. It has helped so much with my technique even with hard stones. This channel is my absolute favorite; this is my education until the time when I'm properly equipped to cut opal and buy from you and the BOD family. Thank you for allowing us to share in these beautiful stones with you.

I really like watching the stones come to life 👍👍👍👍👍

Thank you for being ethical about your Opals.

It’s a pleasure see you doing what you love to do. I can see how you enjoyed every single gem you shape. Thank you

Justin! I very much like these start to finish videos. When I saw the size of that stone I stopped everything I was doing to see this. It was a beautuful stone to begin with, then you brought it to life. Thank you very much for sharing.

My heart gets happy when I see beautiful gems. But these are out of reach of my pocket. God bless you. You have a great fun in your hands..

As a Master Craftsman I can appreciate that you question yourself and your abilities during a project. Nothing you or I produce is ever 100% to our liking and that keeps us striving for a better result by refining our techniques and practices. With that I'll leave you to your work, as I am now retired and plan to go fishing!

Thanks for being honest! Early on in my learning experience, I almost purchased a heart shaped triplet being sold as a natural lighting ridge opal. I questioned the jeweler during my trip into NYC and was lied to that the white and black on the back was supposedly the rough. It didn't look like any rough that I'd ever seen before and thankfully I could see all of this through the setting. I am so thankful that my little voice, the one in your gut, was screaming that it just seemed too good to be true. It was and I kept walking down Madison Ave., but I'm sure that he sold it as genuine. Luckily remembering my Grandmother's antique opal ring and how the back side really looked saved me. Unfortunately that ring of my Grandmother's wasn't worth anything but sentiment because she partially cracked the stone and it couldn't be fixed without it crumbling to pieces. I so enjoyed your videos and I love watching. I just get mesmerized by the beautiful colors that appear and your skill and patience in finding that color thru the cutting and polishing. Thanks so much for sharing your talents. 😊

As for doublets and treated opal, if they are sold honestly for what they are, then they let so many more people fall in love with opals. I can't afford a top quality black opal, but I could afford a beautiful treated or doublet stone. And I've watched the process of treating, watching a stone where you can barely see any color suddenly have all of its fire revealed. Or how a thin pale color bar lights up into brilliance when a black backing is put on. But I might prefer a triplet, because I'm very hard on my jewelry, and I'd be afraid of damaging the surface of an opal, but a triplet topped with a harder material would be much safer for me to wear.

This is the first video of yours that I've watched. Someone watching my channel suggested that I watch it to get better at my camera angles when making my own lapidary videos. She was right, you do a nice job. I'm impressed by your phone mounting system. It looks like you have a track behind your cab machines so you can just move your camera back and forth. It also looks like it's completely out of your way when you're working. I use a tripod and have to wrap my arms around it, making it more difficult to work. Anyhow, thanks for some good ideas. I think I'll be coming back for more. This was a very enjoyable video to watch.

I love how you genuinely care solely for the opal and not for the profit. That’s passion right there, keep it up dude!

The value of any stone or piece of art is completely subjective. If someone really loves the look and the price is right I would rather they have a bright 3 ct doublet gem versus a 0.5 ct hazy natural. As long as we remain educated as consumers and sellers commit to being transparent and honest. That is what I love about your work! Thanks for honoring these stunning pieces of natural art!!!

I wish I had gotten into gems and minerals much earlier in life. I had to restart my career after a mva...and would have loved to have the equipment you have and one ounce of your talent and bravery to try! Nice work☺❤ I wanted to add that I have purchased Opal triplets for earrings and set them and sold them ...but always explained the triplet to customers so they knew what they were buying. Unfortunately I've seen many unscrupulous business owners that don't care.....sad but I spent many years as a nurse....and that reflects even in my gift shop work!.

I was a custom picture framer for over forty years . We sometimes made frames that were not solid in a corner, or' cleaned glass on a big picture or found a speck of dirt inside . It was tempting to ignore it, but my boss would say, would you want a picture or frame like that? My answer was always no, and although we sometimes only broke even or lost money on a job, we developed an excellent reputation and the confidence of our customers. That is the most important thing for you to have, the confidence and trust of people you sell to. You are doing the right thing! Cheers, Rik Spector

I love treated gems. For me it’s the only way I can own some beautiful stones that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.

I appreciate the fact that you can not guarantee who will end up with the gem after it leaves your hands. I also appreciate your love for the natural gem that you are such an amazing artist with and not wanting anyone to end up being taken. Thank you Justin for being you. 🥰

Well that was intense. You seemed so calm while I was basically falling off my chair! I blame the editing 😀 Anyhow as for treated opal, I think it should be an industry standard to have them marked, like Sterling silver or Hallmarked gold. If a piece does not have the "warning" physically present then someone has committed a fraud.

Seam opal just has to many risks per reward for my heart! I'll just stick to being a knobby snob for life! Got quite the chuckle with Tamika at the wheel and you spitting out rice cake! Keeps everything in perspective and reminds us never to take the world too seriously! Great video!

I think it's important for your business that you stick to the real deal. The moment you deal in something modified, it puts doubt in the customer's mind about whether you're selling them the real deal. I think you're doing the right thing.

Whilst I agree with your comments about doublets, They do offer the chance for someone to have a nicer looking jewel than they could otherwise afford ps love your work.

I'm working on a pendant that needs 4 cabochons (not opal), and this video is perfect during my lunch break after cutting the first 2, and before going back out for the others. Butterfly wings are fun to cut!

You are an honest person in your profession. You don't want to deceive people, the reason you don't want to venture with other varieties. It would be sad to bear bad news, that what they bought was not what they expected. Too much hassle. Love your show; you are a character, and I never get bored watching.🤣

I think it is great that you put the purchase price in and appreciate the transparency. I have been thinking about miniature carvings fir a while and have been shaping for about a year now. I think with the correct designs perticular specimens could be saved for there colour despite there size. Imagen 3D carved earrings with a motive. I think your dad would love it.sorry post edit would have loved it

LOVE that tightly-packed green gold fire right at the edge of the stone - looks almost like iridescent foil! There truly is nothing quite like real Australian opal. Thanks for all you do Justin, I have an appreciation for this gorgeous stone that is all down to you and your wonderful videos!

Wow. I just spent $4k CAD today on plane tickets for my wife's round trip back home to Asia for a month. I could have bought a rough like that, paid someone to cut it and then sold it and paid for the whole family to travel! That's a beautiful specimen for sure. A tad bit too heavy for a pendant unless you have a neck like Mike Tyson.

What a great lovely stone. The green base just makes the little sparks of the opal sing. Thanks for sharing and warning about treated stones.

As an American I agree with you comparing it with the native American turquoise the real & the stained stones to simulate it's color, love watching my birthstone be turned into wonderful thanks.

I went to the gem show in Arizona and met a gal from Australia. Of course I picked a beautiful stone and almost died when she said 50,000 dollars I bargained a 50 dollar Nigerian opal instead. Opals rough or cut are just so pricey that is average guys can't even own a cool specimen sadly

Loved it and I love how ethical you are about everything. I have 2 stones you cut and I really love them! thank you for what you do!!!

Really appreciate your comments on doublets, triplets, treated and smoked opals. I guess if somebody's selling treated Opals and they're being honest about it, it's okay if that's what you're looking for. But I want nothing to do with any of it. Only looking for pure / natural Australian opals. Watching your videos has really helped me to begin to understand the stones and the market. Again, thank you for taking the time to make these videos.

The world needs more people like you, but it REALLY needs more business people like you.

I know this is Black Opal Direct, but the white opals are my favorite! 😌 I'm not entirely sure I know what a "treated" opal is, but I bought a new necklace recently and chose an opal simply because of how much I love this channel. It was only $70 and I knew when I bought it that it was lab created, but I'm not an opal connoisseur so I love it just as much as an expensive one. 😊

Oh my that is a massive slab of opal.

All I know about gemstones on the market is what I learned from all those Home Shopping on TV and web stores. I make gemstone jewelry myself. I know it's very difficult & expensive to find natural gemstones. I am use to heat, dyed, irradiated, all the different things you can do to make gems look better. Doublets I've never cared for no matter how pretty the final product. Something about putting two different gemstones together isn't my cup of tea. As long as the seller is honest about what treatments were used & I like the finished product, it doesn't matter at all. Your did such a beautiful job on your opal here. Lots of work & you got to know what you're doing. And you do!

Senior videos here and there the only thing that's consistent is your heart keep up the good work

Thank you for keeping this beauty as a specimen! Gorgeous! As a geologist I love specimens, be it Australian, Ethiopian, or others. It is so much easier to know you have the real deal. It is harder to fake a specimen, and there is likely less financial incentive to pull off a fake specimen since the market is more limited. Also, treated Australian makes for some spectacular specimens since they lend themselves to larger free form. And of course there are painted lady specimens, some of which are stunning. I even have some rather old synthetic opal specimens, which I like due to their history and the fact that they are quite eye-catching. Also, thanks for sharing your technique and I appreciate the running commentary. This is a great way to pass on your insights. I tried my hand at cutting but simply didn't have the time, and gave my wheels to a very worthy local opal club as a fundraiser. I found that I wasn't interested in making jewelry. Maybe I'll take it up again when I retire from my day job.

Where I'm from in Idaho, we have a few opal mines an hour from me in the city of Spencer. The opal it produces was made hydrothermally and forms in thin bands; so the vast majority of our opal is turned into triplets! This actually increases the value of our extremely white opal 😂 it is absolutely gorgeous in the rough form too. I completely agree with you that doublets and treated stones can easily be sold and passed as untreated. I'm glad that around my area, it's common knowledge to most that the majority of Spencer opals are triplets. Love the vids

Creating a specimen of such beauty, is not about profit, its about taking the skills and craft you learnt from your dad and others, and applying the feel and the touch of the stone and shaping and polishing it to create what you did, a lot of cutters would have made it into a kingstone and a few pieces to go with it, but you took a roughie and turned it into a stone of incredible beauty. Thank you for sharing this with us. Love your work.

It turned out to be a beautiful piece. I am ok with buying treated stones as long as the seller is honest and tells you they are treated. I have bought from a company that tells in their description if they are natural, dyed, stabilized, etc. which is important to me.

Loved watching your process! Thanks for sharing!! Glad to see your investment yielded a nice decent gem! I believe treated gems, as well as synthetics, have a place in the market - only as long as the seller is honest and upfront disclosing the history and treatments of the individual stones. For someone just getting into the business, a beginning collector, or for a buyer with a limited budget, treated or synthetic gems are a very affordable alternative. As a collector you can start very reasonably, working up to more expensive and higher quality material. For a beginning jeweler, affordable options are most likely necessary until building up a higher end clientele. A customer with limited funds can buy a very beautiful piece of jewelry to be loved and cherished as much as a natural or untreated stone! For someone in a physical type of job or higher risk situations, damaging a lesser quality stone won’t feel as devastating as a five or six figure natural untreated gem! Not that you should put yourself in a situation with something of any value that is more likely to be damaged, but you would be surprised!! Even if you do not normally sell treated stones, educating yourself and working with many different gem qualities and treatments, as well as different materials is a great learning opportunity. As a jeweler that does outside repairs, you will have many pieces walk into your shop that are assumed to be one thing and turn out to something completely different. Knowing exactly what materials and treatments are in a piece before handling it can save you many headaches and $$$ replacing damaged stones. So I think most people would agree that as long as full disclosure and any special care is explained and understood prior to purchase that treated and synthetic gemstones as well as simulants are all acceptable in the industry. It is up to the individual whether specific stone qualities and treatments enhances their individual use or not. Whatever your personal choice, be sure to educate yourself first to make the most informed decision, whatever you do in life!😊

I agree with your honesty is the best policy. I own a set of doublet earrings that I love. I would not be able to afford the same stones any other way. I also have a set of unmounted stones that the jeweler tells me they are too milky to set. I love them anyway because a family member gave them to me. I think that as long as you are told what you are getting it is ok.

Dear Justin and team your videos are a mixture of thrilling peace to enjoy the unlocking of opan brilliance that's been hidden for +60 plus million years.

I typed a paper for a Bureau of Land Management mining adjudicator about Opals, doublet and triplicat; she paid me a dollar per page. The best part was that she gave me a triplicate opal set as the body of a koala stick pin. It's 26 years ago and I still have that little stick pin. It's beautiful and she taught me so much about opals. I still think about my time in Alaska and working at BLM (NOT black lives matter) and remembering to NOT trying to open the gate without gloves. Because you would lose the skin off your hands. Frozen metal will take your skin right off.

Beautiful work as always Justin ! Personally, I think that the sheer size of that piece somehow detracts from the beauty of Opal......... I may be weird, but smaller stones seem to concentrate the amazing features of Opal.

Haven’t watched your channel in probably a year or so but if I may say I’m glad to see your studio upgrade and the production..while keeping the drama of gambling with opal and still having the same humor and personality. The studio looks great and the opals even better! Thanks for sharing your work and your knowledge, it helps more than you know!

When I lived in Au Australia many years ago I developed an interest in solitary and jewellery making I made my husband a pair occurs links with triplet opal. I was no way able to buy pure opal at the time, but what this did was spark a lifelong interest in Australian opal. So you see there is a place for triplets etc. I am 73 now setback in uk but still have some pieces of gas opal in my collection love watching you bring the stones to life

Nice new layout of your shop. Very pleasing.

I actually like the look of some of the treated matrix and concrete. Australian of course. I especially like the color play on the blackened concrete

My opinion, which isn’t worth much is that I love my little opal. It’s not real, I’m certain. It’s tiny, I’m certain of that too. To me it’s invaluable though. It was a gift from my daughter for Mother’s Day when she had her first job at 16. She didn’t make much money but she was a valuable employee. I still think they couldn’t have run that little movie theater without her. She was assistant manager by 17. But that first year she bought her mom a little opal ring and I wear it to this day. She’s now almost 40. I think my opal no matter if it’s painted, is the most beautiful one I’ll ever own. I love your videos. I feel the nerves for you when you tackle a beauty. We go in with you. 🤟🏼🤍

I believe that doublets which use better quality materials than the opal are worth the combined value of the two pieces. When opal is backed with garbage stones not worth as much. I don't sell my experiments though as solids and only made 7 stones

I can’t stop watching your work Justin. What a treat getting into bed at night & enjoying those wonders. I savor every amazing colorful bit

Thanks Justine. Great work on such a large rock! Really appreciate your observations and agree with your personal choice re dublets etc. Stay true to your calling!!!!

I was thinking to myself, let's see the size of the dobstick he uses for finishing! Lol!

While I’m not a fan of “treated” gemstones in general, I give a small pass to doublets for material that is too thin to be stable on its own (mainly geyser opal).

Justin i'm so glad you brought up treated , smoked, and doublets . Someone who's been in the jewelry industry as long as i have 50+ years , Opal was always a mystry cause it was the other gems that we learned about ,diamonds, sapphires, rubys,emeralds , ect.. we for a long time just thought the opal was the (october birthstone) .however People like yourself and others who are now teaching and informing people about quality , colour , and what it takes for you to get that beautiful stone ready for the industry has opened our eyes up to value . I wish this could have been sooner where grandfather and the rest of the family could have seen the value and the real beauty behind the opal

What a great video. Thank you for the work and effort that goes into putting it all together. I own a small jewelry and appraisal business here in the United States. As a rule, I carry only Australian opal and feel that it is without peer and needs no treatment. I have friends who have purchased Ethiopian stones that just turned into NIGHTMARES. I am going to make sure to protect not only my clients specifically, but the general gem and jewelry buying public as a whole. Having said that, I am not opposed to treatments provided they are PERMANENT, STABLE, AND DISCLOSED UP FRONT. When someone is looking at a sapphire or ruby for example, the price per carat for treated vs untreated is worlds apart. Treatment can, in that case, be the difference between a sale and a happy client or zero on either. That's just my take. Thanks again for a great video.

$6000? If I was a professional jeweler I would buy this right off of you and turn it into sets of necklaces, earrings, and rings and I am sure that I could turn it into the next stage of profits. Alas, I am just a hobbyist jewelry maker. I love watching you at the wheel. It's truly inspiring.

I was wondering if you ever just quit on a stone and just keep it as is. What I am referring to as an example would be a beautiful colored stone with a deep flaw that can't be removed unless you remove a lot of the color also. I would rather have a large freeform opal with color than a small perfectly polished Opel and would not mind the flaws.

I remember mining opal in the 1970s in Coober Pedy. Finding opalised pipes starfish and shells a hundred feet underground in the middle of the country always fascinated me

It is a beautiful stone. I appreciate the fact that you don’t do anything to opals to change them except to cut and polish them.

it "seams" like a really nice stone. Okay, by the numbers: 1- I, too, dislike rice cakes 2- I would love to see Tamika learn how to cut opal. the world needs more opal cutters 3- there is nothing wrong with treated gems so long as the owner knows the complete history of the piece and if sold that information is freely disseminated 4- not pendant, SCEPTER. You are thinking too small, Justin.

It's a Biggin

I think treated gems are fine so long as the individual knows what they are buying, but at the same time I respect that you choose to only deal with natural stone so there's no chance for confusion.

Oh Justin, my anxiety level was off the charts watching this. It is beautiful 😍 but I'm disappointed for you that your profit margin is not spectacular 😢. I would still like to add it to my list of to purchase when I win the lottery 😀 😉. But the problem is I rarely play! I feel like all opal (or any gem) should be sold with full disclosure of treatment 🤔. As far as doublet go, it allows more people to afford a decent looking piece of jewelry. I think I will holdout for a BOD gem though as it is my greatest desire to own a piece of jewelry designed by your wife having the opal worked by you!

I love watching you work producing beautiful gems. I am retired now but looking at your work I would enjoy being back in the business promoting and selling your beautiful work. Continued good luck.

The issues isn’t with treated gems , it’s with the people who try to pass them off as natural ! I for one love Andamooka matrix but would never pass it off for black after it’s treat . I’ve seen a few times now people trying to pass off treated matrix as “black” opal , I would hope it comes down to lack of knowledge of the piece and not dishonesty. All gems are beautiful in their right ! Awesome cut and love your content Justin ⛏

That is the biggest opal I've ever seen! Thanks so much for sharing.

Gorgeous! I'm an October baby & lucky to have this birthstone. Love seeing you cut! 💜

Love the compassion for those who sold an inferior stone!

Gorgeous stone

My Goodness. That Opal turned out so gorgeous. You are So masterful at what you do . When you first started out. I had no idea that stone could end up looking so amazing being that large.

This is one of my favourite episodes it comes out great, I love the great videos, I have cut some good stones on my KZfaq channel but never as good as that, love the videos!

Thankyou for those comments about "natural opal" nearing the end of your Video.I learnt somethings that, finally explained & Influenced, my dislike for the multi-coloured stone. Your sharing has given myself a new view of Opal.

Craftsmanship channels are the best channels on YT. Subbed

Your patience has paid off, what a beautiful aqua colored piece. Fantastic brilliance. $6000.00 is a great price! Treated stones and artificial stones, the only benefit is that it makes you happy, if the consumer is told that they are not right upon purchase. I've been collecting Aquamarine all of my life, it takes many years of working with stones to intuit the quality and whether they are proper gem. Fake stones are a nightmare if you are trading, the old adage, if it seems better than the real Mccoy it probably just seems that way.. Best thing to do is buy from certified reliable sources. I subd! And smashed the like button, you are amazing. Thank you!👍🏻✌🏼💕

That is a stunning and beautiful piece Black Opal Direct, your gamble paid off I hope.

Thanks for letting us take the ride with you and telling us price you paid. 🍿🍿👍

Wow Great Stone! I was jazzed with a 7 carat American opal I had the pleasure of cutting a few weeks ago. And then I see this....

You’re not going to like this comment because it requires a change in perspective. And that is, I like the rough, up against fire opal as dramatic contrast. I would love slices or shaped slices set into pendants or ring stones than just the pure opal without any rough opal. The ultimate goal to “have a clean face,” is not my preference. I wonder how many more people feel the same. The same stone could be enjoyed by dozens of people instead of one person. And I love how the contrast makes your eye search and enjoy the entire stone. That’s my share.

Oh this one had me sweating! I love, love the color. It reminds me so much of my mother's opal that was lost so many years ago. It was dreamy to look into. I wouldn't buy opal from anyone but you Justin if I could that is. Hope you sell it to someone that will love and care about it, and make a profit. I'd rather have that than a small ring sized gem simply because I'm a rock hound and I love this opal. I would hold it and look into it's colors and sparkles for hours on end. Great job Justin and thank you for sharing this journey with us.

Oh man you did a spectacular job polishing that large chunk of opal. I'm subbing, can't wait to see more.

I live about an hour away from the Spencer Opal Mines in Idaho. The color layers are paper thin, so cutting a natural opal from this deposit is almost unheard of. Mostly triplets. They are marketed as such, and anyone buying or selling Idaho opal knows it. It may be more difficult to cut an Idaho opal because of just how thin the color layers are. Back in the 1970's there were opal cutters all over southeast Idaho. The mine owner would open the mine to rockhounds on weekends during the summer. When the owner of the mine retired and sold it to his daughter, she closed the mine to rockhounds. Now we only get to dig through her tailings. There are almost no opal cutters here any longer. When the cutters couldn't get into the seam, it wasn't worth it and most everyone sold their equipment. Sad. That being said, great video. Beautiful stone. Great work.

I thing all natural gems are better than stone that have been altered. Mother nature does the best, and people should appreciate the beauty of her work, for what it is. The best!

Marty would have been very very pleased with this video..really well done mate..

I have been in love with opals since I saw my first one! I would one day have one! I really enjoy your videos and I learn something. That's great! When and if I can buy an opal, I will buy it from you! You are so trustworthy. I like black ones with a lot of colors in them, they are stunning! Thank you for what you do!

I am happy to see these videos. I just purchased an opal ring. Diamond is my birthstone, but I have always loved the OPAL. I hope that I don't lose this ring like I did the others.

All I can say is holy guacamole. What a MASSIVE undertaking!

It’s a fascinating discovery. Not knowing what you’ll find is all the fun.