Recent content by Martyz

Good to hear you’re enjoying country life and yes we will definitely drop in and see you when we’re out that way next.👍

Haha…yeah I’m not sure this one has quite achieved the naming status of the true specimen opals but it sure is cute.😄 I was looking at it and wondering why I liked the shape so much and then it hit me… it reminded me of one my favourite places… Lord Howe Island, where my wife and I went on our...

Thanks Dihusky. I’ve cut a few now (lots of standard shapes) and I agree, this was the right way to cut this stone. It packs a lot into 1.5 cts which is good because I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford it if it was any bigger.😁 This is the first one I’ve cut and bought, which says...

They say that there is an opal to suit everyone… ? The other day I cut this free form carving from a little Nobby and when I was finished I just had to have it, and so I bought it. I don’t know why, but I just had to have this one. It’s a cracking little black opal that came in at 1.57cts. The...

All good Mackka. Slim pickings with gemstones on the forum lately and I thought these were interesting. It just goes to show that the right brand and marketing equals $$$ Nice one Lonewolf. I was thinking of Dihusky when I put these up… sending a bit of inspiration. 😁

Hey Mackka, if you look on their website under Jewellery/earrings (second or third page) you’ll find them there. They send me an email every once in a while because I bought my wife’s engagement ring there years ago. Don’t worry, they were actually nice enough to make something I could afford.😁...

It’s not very often that you see plain old Smokey quartz used in high end jewellery but I saw these the other day. Made by Calleija jewellers, they’ve incorporated another semi precious gem into what they do which seems pretty rare these days. At least I think a few gem cutters on the forum can...

I have heard that some Australian opal with high water content can behave similarly Goldierocks. As this was a recent purchase (online??) and there is doubt about its origin I might be thinking Ethiopian. Especially for a piece of that size if it seemed like particularly good value for money...

Hi Debbie, Great carving you’ve done there. It’s looks like the material polished well and held together which is a good sign. A couple of things to look for if it’s Ethiopian are: Was it comparatively inexpensive? (Because it looks like a fair chunk) Does slowly go clear and loose colour when...

Gday Badge, A quick tip for photographing your stones; Clean your stone free from dust and lint. Place on an equally clean mirror. Find the right light to show some depth of colour. Dont hold your phone too close. Crop the photo using the editing function on your phone. I use an iPhone 7S which...

Hahaha. :) Youre all on the money. The black opal was valued very nicely and of all the stones Ive cut, this one slice is pretty much the only time Ive really questioned myself and whether I could pull it off. Luckily the owner of the stone told me to go for it after I sought his opinion so were...

Its been a while since I posted anything Ive done so I thought Id share this little challenge that came my way recently. This is part of a piece of seam black opal from which I ended up cutting six stones but this one was by far the trickiest. Two colour bars, one cut. Get it right and Ive got...

Dont give up on garnets Badge. Theres a few nice examples on the forum of how well garnets can turn out when done properly. Here is one example of a beautifully finished garnet that Dihusky cut for me.

With a little bit of shovel work thats just a pothole for the Jimni :) On the plus side it looked like a nice day for a walk in the bush without any traffic. :Y:

Thanks Rockrat. Electrics are not really my thing and it sounds like my old motor might not be the right type. If I ever have to change my motor I might look at a setup that works this way.