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Author Topic: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)  (Read 9529 times)

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hummingbirdstones

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #15 on: July 27, 2016, 07:42:12 AM »

Thanks for the info, Mike.  It's good to hear straight from the "horse's mouth" so to speak.   :icon_sunny:
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Robin

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #16 on: July 27, 2016, 02:22:49 PM »

Thank you for that info, Mike.  I suspect that, hopefully, the market for finished products will also respond to the changes eventually.  With prices of rough going up, maybe he prices on finished will go up as well.
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Bluetangclan

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #17 on: May 10, 2017, 12:41:21 PM »

Since this is still on page 1 I think its ok to reply to this old thread since info is still pertinent.

Has anyone ordered off of www.opalauctions.com? I have been surfing around in the rough sections and saw some possibly interesting parcels. Usually from the pics on the low cost parcels I see one or two stones that look promising in most of them. I haven't compared them to village smithy opals  for general prices but the parcels don't seem too crazy in price.
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Steve Ramsdell

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #18 on: May 10, 2017, 06:51:23 PM »

Opals have always been a problem, as in I want more.  When the prices go up as they are now I go the opposite direction.  I look at the synthetic or man made opals that are often very reasonable.  When I used to teach I would recommend this material when people were learning how to cut a soft material.  I saw a lot of opal going down the drain when people first start cutting a softer stone.  My favorite opal, the brazilian opal is hardly available.
Steve
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finegemdesigns

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #19 on: May 10, 2017, 09:05:18 PM »

i absolutely love working opals, but, they are really expensive and i cant afford the nicer large pieces so i am boycotting opals.

lol
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Bluetangclan

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #20 on: May 26, 2017, 07:51:41 AM »

I am trying different vendors on opal auction, now waiting for arrival. Ordered some parcels of cober pedy and lightning ridge from VSO. Both arrived fairly quickly and had some good stuff in them. I guess as parcels it was a mixed bag, I am still looking at them and trying to figure out how to work several of the pieces. Got a nice bright chuck of coober, probably at least a 4, came out great except a yellow line halfway across the stone in the matrix  :angry: . Got some more girdled and relatively cleaned on the bench for when I finish the current batch up. I work in batches by the way, its simpler that way for smaller rocks to me. I'll post a pic on its own thread when I get around to it.
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hummingbirdstones

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #21 on: May 26, 2017, 02:11:09 PM »

Looking foward to seeing your pictures!
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Robin

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #22 on: May 26, 2017, 10:16:29 PM »

Steve is a neat guy and very friendly, I like buying from him.
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ileney

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #23 on: June 03, 2017, 01:34:20 PM »

Bluetangcaln, please post pictures of the lightning ridge and other rough. I am curious.
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Bluetangclan

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #24 on: June 05, 2017, 10:08:06 AM »

Unfortunately I have gone through and precut or girdled most of the CP stuff. One very large chunk I am going to cut in half even, from memory I think it had two thick layers of fire in it. I think most of the LR is still in rough form though. I tend to be spastic when working on rough grabbing a piece from this bag, a piece from that.

I have gotten mixed bag from SEDA on opal auctions. A couple things were decent to good, especially the boulder and a particular CP rough chunk. The LR stuff I got was not very good, mostly very small and clear, although there were a couple take-aways I can use. Most of the small stuff is too small to even waste the time turning them into doublets or triplets although I might do just that for practice since I have only made a few so far. Ill have to see if they have better color against a black background.

Really bad about taking pics. I have some stuff I really want to take pics off but still trying to get my camera to do it without them just being white chucks. In the thread on the subject someone mentioned doing it in water so I will give that a try.

Definitely get what you pay for. I bought a cheapish 200ct opal parcel from TG Opals on ebay. That was a bust. I think he scraped the bottom of his storage bucket and sent them as there was a lot of tiny bits for the most part. Might be one or two very small rocks I can even use. But if just one of them works out and I can sell it for $25 I will have made my money back so I guess I cant complain too much heheh.
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ASO

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #25 on: September 12, 2017, 11:42:12 AM »

Ebay is a so so place to find rough but I have done well with some larger stones in the past at a premium of course, parcels not so much.  VSO is good but seams to be focusing on Ethiopian opal more now fine if you are into that sort of thing.  It wasn't bad a few years ago when you could get a kilo of AAA for $500.  Opal Auctions is secure and sometimes you can find something unexpected but it will take hours of scrolling through pages and sometimes the prices are high but some $ can still be made on the back end. Justin at Black Opel Direct is a good gut very professional you pay cherry picking prices but sometimes he has stones that are worth it.  I have bought many stones from him in the past and have always done well, probably one of the better sources for individual larger stones.  I have heaps of rough all with guaranteed profit cutters but wont be posting it on this site for a while but feel free to contact me and come visit us at a gem show.  We will always bring allot with us. 
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John Robinson

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #26 on: September 13, 2017, 04:04:44 PM »

This was a very informative thread!
But I wonder, does anyone have a good source for American opal, both North and South America ? I have a few pieces from the Americas that I think are outstanding opals
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ASO

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #27 on: September 13, 2017, 09:59:11 PM »

I am partial to the Australian opal and only feel comfortable saying what I am about to because I don't think my miners are reading this but I would give a limb for some top quality Brazilian crystal rough.  That stuff is amazing and very stable.  Absolutely love it, I think that the monster company Opex Opal has struck a deal with the Brazilian government to reopen one of the top producing mines.  The only problems with this is now the small time local miners wont be digging out and selling the small amounts that they once were, and Opex will have total control over that killer material.  They will send it to Asia to be cut and I think most of it usually ends up in Japan they love it.  Probably nothing left for cutters like us.  Mintabee is another solid quality opal to look out for the top stuff is like the Brazilian in color and quality but it cuts a little differently.  The regulations and high cost to mine are whats causing that to dry up.
Let me know if you find any good sources

good luck   
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John Robinson

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #28 on: September 14, 2017, 05:12:36 PM »

Off topic,  but I have a nice 64 Ct Australian rough white that was mined over thirty years ago should I just stash it away, instead of  cutting it? If Australian opal is becoming scarce, then existing stones might increase in value (?)
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ASO

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Re: Where to get your fix (rough suppliers)
« Reply #29 on: September 14, 2017, 05:34:23 PM »

The way that I see it a cut opal is always worth more than a rough stone provided that the stone didn't just look like it had a good chance of cutting and ween you get in to it you find out a different story.  You can cut it whenever and sell it whenever the the price of rough and cut opal will always go up.  A lot of the opal that ends up on the market now days is coming from material that was mined 20-30 years ago and just now hitting the market.  Much of the good stuff came out when new fields were first discovered.  I was talking to another opal dealer at Tucson and he said that he had barrels of untouched nobbies that he bought out in the Coccrin when the rush first began back in the 80s.  He put tens of millions in to the pockets of miners back then and only pulls out what he needs on a yearly bases.  If it was me I would probably cut that stone now sell it and then buy even more rough now while is is still somewhat affordable.
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