Finding & Cutting Opals from the Spencer Opal Mine

Рет қаралды 28,084

Жыл бұрын

#rockhounding #opals #lapidary
Kate and Jim head to the Spencer Opal Mine in Spencer, Idaho, where they dig in the tailings pile for beautiful Spencer opals. Once home, Kate works to free the opals from their rocky matrix, and uses the slab saw, trim saw and cabochon machine to reveal the sparkling beauty that is locked inside. It's a learning experience from beginning to end, and a relaxing look at the process. If you are curious about American opals, or if you just love the unique and colorful stones, you will enjoy this video! Come along!
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Пікірлер: 156

@judymarkel8029 Жыл бұрын

How fun. We will have to stop there

@darrinwilliams5715 Жыл бұрын

Kate I’ve been cutting and polishing rocks and gems for close to 20 years. Opal is some of the most difficult material to cut and polish. So believe me when I tell you that you did an amazing job on that opal. To catch that much color in a layer so thin,and in a notoriously unstable opal is amazing. Cool opal Kate!!😎😎

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I love to learn. :)

@tashacherry1480 Жыл бұрын

I was really surprised to see she had done so well also. This is awesome! Go Kate!

@nancygaxiola5412 Жыл бұрын

That is beautiful!!

@raygay3375 Ай бұрын

❤GREAT JOB!!🎉 That’s truly beautiful. You worked so hard for that…CONGRATS

@patriciabock4299 4 ай бұрын

Kate you do amaze me! I would have been so nervous about grinding that down, but you have given me faith that all that work is so worth it! I do not think I will be fearful to try what you just achieved. That rectangle is one super beautiful opal!

@KatyDidRocks 4 ай бұрын

Thank you, Patricia. It really is a lot of work - but I suspect it took longer than needed, because my grinding wheel was dull. :)

@susie5710 Жыл бұрын

Super nice, love the flash in that rectangle one!

@vickygoodwin9771 Жыл бұрын

Good job. Patience really paid off! Love the color!

@annajablonski9624 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing the whole process. I really enjoyed your video.

@batman31261 Жыл бұрын

Awesome, thank you 😊

@jennifershipp2599 Жыл бұрын

Beautiful opals and tedious work. Thank you

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

LOL, I hope it wasn't tedious to watch! :D

@jennifershipp2599 Жыл бұрын

No, just takes time for perfection. LO L

@savagesquirrel9828 Жыл бұрын

Boy, your patience really paid off! Spectacular!

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thanks, SS.

@helenburke9507 Жыл бұрын

Wow oh wow-- I love opal!!!!!!! Thank you so much.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

I love it too. :)

@aliencat11 Жыл бұрын

Cutting opal is very delicate work! You are doing extraordinaryly well!!!!!

@largent45 Жыл бұрын

Wow! that was awesome! Just cant resist the lure of opal. That turned out to be a fantastic piece! You did a fantastic job with it too. Both pieces! Gorgeous Kate! Thanks for sharing!

@marthabennett4788 Жыл бұрын

so beautiful so glad you took the time to bring out the colors, great fun.

@MsSandraCGL Жыл бұрын

You did so good on this one, I'm so happy for you

@justingerrardReviewsEverything 11 күн бұрын

Wow! Great video! I really enjoyed watching. My husband and I are going to the Spencer opal mine on Friday. I hope we have some luck.

@elleisme8565 Жыл бұрын

Wow Kate you found gorgeous color. Amazing!! 🤩

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

It was awesome.

@fionabeale3245 Жыл бұрын

Hello Katy I really do like the way you leave part of the host rock on with the opal ,being on there together they beautify each other and makes it a unique stone ! great video love from gloucester 😊

@annes4213 Жыл бұрын

Pretty!!

@michaelgrimes1131 Жыл бұрын

Opals are about my all time favorites next to finding a diamond in the rough!

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

I must admit to having opal fever!

@sarahloy830 Жыл бұрын

It looks fun and nerve wrecking at the same time😃. I love that final piece!

@lorettarussell593 Жыл бұрын

I really enjoyed watching this video, Katy!!

@kslinaz5668 Жыл бұрын

Yeah, that was nnnnnnice. It was amazing to see how much color you were able to bring out.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Such a surprise!

@yelenalastovkina5681 Жыл бұрын

Opal is mysterious , amazing game finding the best way to present it. I love even what yiu get halfway.lol

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

@tamibrink8569 Жыл бұрын

Thank you Kate ! First time watching and certainly found your video most interesting. Your next vid can't come soon enough.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

😊 While you wait, I have three years worth of videos you can watch on my channel. Enjoy!

@ccccarriemchardy9216 Жыл бұрын

I adore opals, so unique. I bought a piece of black potch to practice on and it turned out to have a opal bubble under the cap which you couldn't see at first.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

How awesome! I have some low-grade Lightning Ridge opal/potch that I'm working on right now.

@ccccarriemchardy9216 Жыл бұрын

@@KatyDidRocks Its fun and nerve wracking at the same time. Im too scared to polish my stone completely in case I loose colour. Its tiny but has a bright red/pink/green/blue 3d affect and was such a welcomed surprise, I danced around. Anyone would have thought I had won a car.

@hottubtimemachine1200 Жыл бұрын

Beautiful great finds and wonderful work, great video.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much.

@kirktingblad6667 Жыл бұрын

Congrats on that last one, it will make a nice piece of jewelry.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thanks, Kirk!

@donnabeaudin9114 Жыл бұрын

Wow Katy! That opal is gorgeous!! Loved watching the color develope!

@elainebates6967 Жыл бұрын

Hey Katy, regarding the opal face you were working on 2nd I was seeing glints of color. I liked how you decided to leave the other stone attached as I felt it helped show the opal flashes.

@georgeshidalgo906 Жыл бұрын

Very Thanks Kate

@donnalantz7981 Жыл бұрын

Awesome video Kate. Beautiful finds.

@johnricheson8465 Жыл бұрын

Great pieces love opal!!

@johnricheson8465 Жыл бұрын

Beautiful Kate!

@lauriemccullam6327 Жыл бұрын

I still have a couple of nice fist-sized specimens I got there several years ago. Very nice stuff!

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Nice! I find it tricky to work with.

@JodeeDeemHall Жыл бұрын

Beautiful opals

@summerland6397 Жыл бұрын

This is the first color I have seen out of this mine. Beautiful! Great video, thanks.

@bhutjolokia6990 Жыл бұрын

Wow!! Beautiful color!! I just cut some Spencer opal a couple months back, mostly green fire, it was fun to work with.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Nice! It's a very slow process. :D

@kellyharper367 Жыл бұрын

Old disabled house bound dusty rusty rockhound here: How exciting! Thanks so very much for this adventure!

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, Kelly!

@michaelvandyke Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing your goodies and showing the work that goes into our treasures, when finished. SCORE!

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@angeloemlapidary72 Жыл бұрын

Batu Opal mine yang terbaik dan indah kawan

@cindyli8568 Жыл бұрын

this place is great! love your video!

@patriciamckean4186 Жыл бұрын

Boy, you have to be very patient. Thank you, I never knew what raw opal looks like. Love the natural looking stone! Oh, I see the fire!!! 😍

@Patriot-rising Жыл бұрын

New to this channel..Next time I will be preparred. I will have a cup of coffee before the enthusiasm begins.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

LOL, not a bad idea! :D Welcome.

@kennethchristie5167 Жыл бұрын

Nice job. You are one persistent lapidarist.

@stevecasvan5225 Жыл бұрын

So I did a pretty fair sized lot of Spencer a few years ago. I also met with the owners a few years before that with some investors with the idea of actually purchasing the mine but it fell through. I found that while the color bars are very thin they can be pretty spectacular. Most of the best is made into triplets. A flat lap is mandatory. You pick the color bar you want and very carefully grind to it. Then you glue that onto your backing. I used black jade because it's tough as nails. Then come back from the other side and grind down to your color layer. I cut slabs of quartz for the top glued those on and shaped my stone. I have one stone that had a very thick color bar that came out absolutely brilliant in brightness. I keep it on hand as a grading stone for my level five. In a dark room with only a candle it will throw the color onto your fingers! It's brilliant red orange One direction and it's spectacular Green from the other! A bit more work but you end up with beautiful pieces that work very well in jewelry. I've made quite a few really nice pieces. Give it a try!

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

That’s awesome ! I’ve seen the triplets, but haven’t been bold enough to do it yet. 😂

@susanbrookman2133 Жыл бұрын

Absolutely beautiful, I just love the natural look, I leave my Lake Superior Agates with the husk on the back side so they can see what it looks like in it's natural form.

@V27RV Жыл бұрын

Amazing video Thank you

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@bebecatanzaro9362 Жыл бұрын

I love your channel! Your collecting & cutting/polishing work is fascinating ❤

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much!

@lilalightandlove421 Жыл бұрын

Awesome revealing of the flash in the opal! I certainly do t have the patience you do. I never expected the opal to have so much color. Nice job Katy!

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!

@ccvgems8754 Жыл бұрын

Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing ❤ Stay Crystal 💫 Mari

@pattimessenger6214 Жыл бұрын

I love opals so much! Yours is gorgeous!

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@silverback5033 Жыл бұрын

Hi Kate, looks like you found some nice pieces and working hard to get the nicest result. Hope you get some more nice pieces out of your haul. Say hi to Jim for me. Keep Safe & Keep Doin, 😂😂

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thanks, SB ! As an Aussie, I would imagine you know a little more about opal than I do... :D

@silverback5033 Жыл бұрын

@@KatyDidRocks Katy, I wish I could say yes to your comment, but truth is I don’t know much about it other than what I have read and watched on various videos. I did have some as a kid but that is a story all of its own.

@nancyphelps4855 5 ай бұрын

Very pretty

@jasondelgatty3583 Жыл бұрын

Very nice video. I really enjoyed it. tks

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@thecrystalhunters Жыл бұрын

Awesome 👏

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@rockhoundingwithjasperblue Жыл бұрын

Great show, KatyDid! Way to bring the fire out!! It is said that Opal is a cruel mistress! And now you know why. 😳 it is also why Opal is just about the most valuable and definitely the most Beautiful. 💎 when you get it right, it can be just breathtaking!! You did GREAT! Keep on Doing! Thank You for sharing that. 💎

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thank you, JB! I have to say, I have OPAL FEVER! :D

@janvafa9959 Жыл бұрын

Pretty!

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@hiddengem59 Жыл бұрын

Master's Of Rockhounding 🔥🤠🙏

@tashacherry1480 Жыл бұрын

AWESOME VIDEO!!!

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Glad you think so!

@user-qt1kb2lp6f 5 ай бұрын

That was a lot of work , but it was a very pretty stone Have fun

@michaelprue9024 Жыл бұрын

It definitely took some patience getting down to the color but you did it. And you did it without rubbing the color off. Nicely done 👍 That other piece looked like it had a small Fox wrapped around the Opal. I’ve been wanting to build a cabbing machine myself and then find some rough to practice with. Unfortunately here in Nebraska there isn’t much Opal to be had without buying it from someone else. But I won’t let that deter me lol

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Buying it is always an option! We don't have any precious opal in Montana - but lots of other beautiful rocks.

@petepeterson4540 Жыл бұрын

16:13 green flash

@leslyeschoenhuth3515 Жыл бұрын

* WOW ~ The color at the 16:50 mark is Extremely Colorful.. I don't think you should take any more away ! ! * It is just flashing red & Green so beautifully... As you said goodbye, one of your cats was trying to EAT a rock.. Good Grief.. So Funny..

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

She is very mischevious.

@heathersmith-gearns6336 Жыл бұрын

I love this so much! You found so much color Katy! 😍

@lindaleehulsey3167 Жыл бұрын

GOTTA GET A SMALL BLADE SAW.....

@kiddkarnelian3723 Жыл бұрын

impressive work, pretty cool its from the United States

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

It is!

@marshacrane2703 Жыл бұрын

Love your videos-I am also a big Spencer opal fan and have dug there many times. Could you please advise what grit you are using when you use each of the wheels? I start with the 200. Love this last piece you did! Wow!

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Hi, Marsha, sorry it took me so long to respond. I use the roughest diamond wheel on my CabKing to grind the extra opal off, then move over to the next wheels. I'm hardly an expert!

@petepeterson4540 Жыл бұрын

a lot of flash red green yellow

@richardservatius5405 Жыл бұрын

at about 12:30 when you get the color flash, the whole piece looks like a person holding the opal that is flashing.

@sierrahjmartinez6703 Жыл бұрын

Wow makes me proud of our American opals! So pretty. Are you selling these on your etsy? I'm very interested. I would love to have my first American opal.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Hi! I haven't listed any yet - but sometime soon!

@azopalinc Жыл бұрын

They told me over the phone this spring that they weren’t going to open the pile. 🤦🏼‍♂️ I did find a huge collection someone had stashed away years ago, about 65lbs. I’ve cut solids and a bunch of triplets. Spencer opals throw the wildest patterns

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

They opened on Fourth of July weekend. They have changed the price structure to $75 per person - apparently to help cover insurance costs. Cool that you have so many stashed away!

@Metalfusioncowboy Жыл бұрын

Sometimes you can use sugar and sulfuric acid to change the background color to black and make the color play more intense, I don’t know if it would work on that material

@tashacherry1480 Жыл бұрын

I wonder if you slabbed it if you wouldn't find a bunch of pockets. Edit, spoke to soon. I guess I'm just excited to see. I'm like slab it chicky slab it! 😂

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

@denniswheeler2645 Жыл бұрын

@kenelliott5753 Жыл бұрын

if you never looked for opal before do they help you or give you advice to what to look for at the spencer mine?

@aowis1 Жыл бұрын

👍👍👍👍👍😍

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

@rockcrazygal5166 Жыл бұрын

Never mind, I just looked it up.

@trptrungblogs Жыл бұрын

🎉❤🎉🎉🎉

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

@tashacherry1480 Жыл бұрын

I've watched opal cutters get to this point 13:30 & switch to a dremel.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Working on it. :)

@tashacherry1480 Жыл бұрын

Looks like Jim found his niche in rock hounding

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

He's doing great!

@rockcrazygal5166 Жыл бұрын

I live in Canada. Where is the spencer mine?

@leslyeschoenhuth3515 Жыл бұрын

* Is the 17:30 mark rock the same as the 16:55 mark rock? Because ALL of the Red is Gone... I cry.. Green is beautiful tho..

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Nope! Two different rocks, you can stop crying now. :D

@yelenalastovkina5681 Жыл бұрын

Will you make pendants ?

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

Working on a plan right now!

@massachusettsrockhounding3373 Жыл бұрын

What happens with the pink opal ?

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

I'm going to cut it eventually, but I want to make sure I know what I'm doing first. :D

@parfaitelumiere Жыл бұрын

the good one, you should have just reversed it,front on back and back on front, keeping the white layer, as there are no cracks and its not common on that opal, and shave on rhyolite side under, and get the beautiful layer with complete white background underneath, from what I see, you had about 3-4mm of material of pure white opal without cracks, reversing stone would have kept the full thickness.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

The learning curve is high! Thanks for the suggestion.

@davidkue4196 Жыл бұрын

I wonder how valuable is white Opal?

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

It really varies. Most of the stuff from the Spencer mine is sold as triplets.

@jamescrosby7777 Жыл бұрын

Have you ever come across white buffalo stone 🤔

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

I have seen “buffalo stone” (baculite segment), but never white!

@jamescrosby7777 Жыл бұрын

@@KatyDidRocks came across some on the grass land's in co love the thin butterscotch color on some white rocks cool when you can get them to blend

@rebeccaofsunnybrookefarm8469 Жыл бұрын

There are several kids of opal Opal with flash, opal with out, opal with dendritic inclusions, synthetic or lab created, black opal, lightening ridge opal, Ethiopian opal, crystal opal.. Ghost opal... I've been thinking it's really Schiller... And I'm not a pro just a enthusiastic person. Trying to pay attention I really need our ( lapidary guy who teaches opal ) Instructor to go over it with me.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

SO MANY beautiful opals. :D I am trying to learn as well. I just bought some low-grade opal rough from Lightning Ridge so I can get my hands on the material, and I bought some Ethiopian opals (which I'm not too enthusiastic about, as I haven't had the color reappear yet after working on them.) Glad you have a teacher!

@rebeccaofsunnybrookefarm8469 Жыл бұрын

@@KatyDidRocks Good to know that your working on different opals. My teacher is not in very often as he is an instructor at the lapidary school in Georgia. How much grinding did you do on the Ethiopian opal? Maybe try a different angle? Ps I've heard that Ethiopian vendors are less than savory. Hope you at least get your money's worth on something. Just working with the material is a lesson.

@KatyDidRocks Жыл бұрын

@@rebeccaofsunnybrookefarm8469 The issue with the Ethiopian opals is that they are hydrophane, meaning they absorb water. The color disappears when they are wet, supposedly returns when they are dry - but so far it hadn't returned to its original state. Also, that lapidary school in Georgia is so cool!

@rebeccaofsunnybrookefarm8469 Жыл бұрын

@@KatyDidRocks I desire to go there a few sessions.. 580ish a week then housing is a bit steep for me.. My bucket list keeps growing. As for the drying process of the opal, be grateful that it's slow it prevents crazing.

@rebeccaofsunnybrookefarm8469 Жыл бұрын

I have several new opal specimens that I purchased at our local show this weekend.. purivian opal in pink, blue and yellow... beautiful stuff.