Opals

        As I mentioned before, I am in the process of moving. Consequently, all of my craft stuff is EVERYWHERE! So I have taken some time to work on other projects (I have soooo many) that have been neglected for a little while for favor of better work space. I picked up this hobby some time ago and to date it is probably my favorite. The short of it... I take rough opals and turn them into wearable jewelry. Let me show you the process.



It really begins with finding good rocks and ordering them. That in itself is an adventure. Sometimes the process takes weeks. Then there is the anxiously awaiting their arrival. When shipped from all around the world, then going through customs, most of the time, that part alone takes about a month. By the time they come, the suspense has built to a paramount level.

These first 4 pictures are of one rock. This is what it looked like when I started. I took several to show different angles so you can fully appreciate the time and work that goes into it. It truly is a journey with many road blocks and few freeways.


The first step is to work on the shape and remove as much of the debris as possible. I try to retain as much of the natural shape as possible so I don't try and make perfect squares or diamonds or anything typical. My goal is to smooth our rough edges and make at least one face flat, though sometimes I end up with nothing flat at all. These two pictures were taken after I removed as much debris as possible and made the shape more smooth and agreeable.


These final 3 pictures are the product of the polish. I have not been able to take good pictures of Opals, it is unbelievably challenging and never to my satisfaction. But you can see this rock has an amazing color range! It literally houses every color on the planet