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Author Topic: Slovakian Opal cutting  (Read 2687 times)

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Bluetangclan

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Slovakian Opal cutting
« on: October 10, 2017, 10:54:07 AM »

I always felt jealous of guys on here who run into those estate sales and buy massive amounts of good material for pennies on the dollar. Well I had my turn finally at a rock show here in Orlando. I went to buy a couple pieces of rough from the first booth I went to, she weighed them and then told me she was tired of having to weigh each piece of rough(the rest of her stand was a load of separated and priced slabs of various rock) and to make me an offer on her entire selection and she wouldn't be offended by a low bid. I offered a hundred bucks thinking the worst she could say was no, but she said sold instead. So I ended up with multiple small plastic bins of various rough opal. One entire bin is kinda meh, but the other bins were decent Coober, some Mexican, Honduran, some kind of black(like pitch black) matrix with very distinct seams of bright opal running through it, and a decent sized pile of what I am pretty sure is Slovakian opal based on visuals of some material I already had. Nice light grey matrix and bright almost Ethiopian-like color but is definitely not hydrophane. Its more Slovakian rough than I have seen anywhere else even online.

So seeing as the material is kind of visually similar matrix-wise to Mexican, would I cut and polish it the same way?
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Phishisgroovin

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2017, 03:05:41 PM »

i would like to see photos, i just carved an opal (coober peddy i believe) this last weekend.
I might be interested in some of the "Meh" material one of these days?
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Phishisgroovin

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2017, 03:06:34 PM »

i really like boulder opal, but i cant afford top ramen right now let alone opals lol
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hummingbirdstones

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2017, 04:19:35 PM »

Can you post a picture of it, please?  I want to see!!!!!  My heritage is Slovak and I have one little piece that I bought as a specimen, just to have it.

In the past, if I recall correctly, they were cut like Australian opal.
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Robin

Bluetangclan

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2017, 07:07:29 PM »

Top one is the Slovakian I think. Bottom one is the black one with the opal seam.
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Phishisgroovin

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2017, 08:25:49 PM »

Oh gawd i want ti play with one of those!
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Phishisgroovin

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2017, 08:31:47 PM »

A coober peddy i did last weekend while mourning the death of my cousin.
I put my tears into this rock.

I followed the green and teal as best i could by seeing it in the side

Sent from my SM-G928T using Tapatalk
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edgarscale

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2017, 08:34:14 PM »

wow
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50% rockhound and 50% wire wrap
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edgarscale

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2017, 08:37:11 PM »

both are gorgeous.   i am in love with the black one. 
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hummingbirdstones

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2017, 08:51:04 PM »

Nice job on those CP's Randy.  Sorry to hear about your cousin.  Prayers for your family.   :sad5:

Bluetangclan:  I don't think the top one is Slovakian.  It doesn't resemble the specimen I have at all, but I know I've seen some like that before.  I want to say it's one of those Hondurans that aren't in the basalt matrix.  I actually think the black one looks Honduran, too, with a seam in it.  Something I've never seen before, but it's beautiful!
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Robin

gemfeller

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2017, 10:57:16 PM »

Here's one of several images of Slovakian/Hungarian opal from the Opal Auctions site : https://www.opalauctions.com/auctions/slovakian-opal/

5933f370ade90.jpg
*5933f370ade90.jpg (119.86 kB . 640x553 - viewed 525 times)
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Bluetangclan

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #11 on: October 11, 2017, 04:01:12 AM »

Yeah the pics didnt show the color as well. But it has the same lightish grey matrix as your pic, Gemfeller and the same crystal-like look of the opal. If I faceted these would make for some amazingly cool faceted stones. I agree on the Honduran although they lack the speckles of color I am used to seeing in it. Ill finish those two up and see what I end up with. Hmmm normal treatment of Honduran involves a 10 minute treatment in oven heated opticon, should I do that with opal in a seam like that?
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hummingbirdstones

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #12 on: October 11, 2017, 07:38:12 AM »

I wouldn't Opticon a seam.  The basalt the Honduran opal is generally in is extremely porous and doesn't polish without treatment, but a seam is a seam is a seam .....   Solid opal.   :icon_sunny:
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Robin

ileney

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #13 on: October 14, 2017, 10:44:23 AM »

I'll second that. I have a couple pieces of the honduran seam opal with the crystal opal in seams in a grayish matrix and both the matrix and crystal have shaped OK using diamond wheels. I have not used opticon.
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ileney

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Re: Slovakian Opal cutting
« Reply #14 on: January 18, 2018, 07:36:21 AM »

I also have a few pieces of the gray (not black) matrix Honduran and no stabilization was needed.
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