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[VegasJames]

002 by James Sloane, on Flickr

003 by James Sloane, on Flickr

004 by James Sloane, on Flickr

1005 by James Sloane, on Flickr

1006 by James Sloane, on Flickr

1007 by James Sloane, on Flickr

1008 by James Sloane, on Flickr

1009 by James Sloane, on Flickr

1010 by James Sloane, on Flickr

1011 by James Sloane, on Flickr

[peruano]

Nice colors. I'm guessing that this material likes to chip when you are cabbing it. I can see  lots of fractures exist.  Fun to work with when successful I'll bet. 

[VegasJames]

Have not had a problem with chipping, but it does fracture. So I generally break the slabs along their fractures first then cab the pieces that remain. Yes, it great and easy to work with.

Opal cabs 2 by James Sloane, on Flickr

118882052_3422885837769714_4167399160304763993_o by James Sloane, on Flickr

[vitzitziltecpatl]

Wow - VERY nice cabs from your rough.

It is much better to whack them on the table (our method) to find the solid bits, eh?

Some people miss out on good stones because they see fractures in the rough. St. Johns Flower Agate that is like that. It's a little extra work to "cut between the cracks" - but it's worth it. Just like your opal. That's great stuff.

[VegasJames]

Wow - VERY nice cabs from your rough.

It is much better to whack them on the table (our method) to find the solid bits, eh?

Some people miss out on good stones because they see fractures in the rough. St. Johns Flower Agate that is like that. It's a little extra work to "cut between the cracks" - but it's worth it. Just like your opal. That's great stuff.

I don't whack them with hammers because I do not want to make more cracks. I just slab the material and see what I have. If the piece is too unstable I throw it in the tumbler with other opal for a week. Then I can use the pieces for various other projects.

[vitzitziltecpatl]

Hiya' James!

Sorry if I wasn't as clear as I should have been. We do not bash chunks - or anything else - with hammers.

Raising one end of a slab an inch or so above a tabletop and then smacking it down evenly on the table is good, though. If a slab already has obvious fractures it will probably also have less visible ones, too. This will usually "find" them.

One other (less violent) way we find them is to dunk them in water and then wipe the surface off. The fracture lines that can hold water will be visible for a short time after the rest of the surface has dried.

I'm sure you have heard of these methods, but others newer to the lapidary world might benefit from having them posted here.

[lithicbeads]

Here in Washington the cpommon opal beds often have agate nodules in them as a quite  small percentage of the deposit. The deposits have and are mined giving big head walls to sample the layering on a grand scale.

[VegasJames]

Here in Washington the cpommon opal beds often have agate nodules in them as a quite  small percentage of the deposit. The deposits have and are mined giving big head walls to sample the layering on a grand scale.

The dehydration product of opal is chalcedonies such as agate, jasper and chert/flint. So they do often occur together.

[Felicia]

Looks like some super handsome  looking cabs in your future!

[peruano]

You have not used the word "wood" in this thread but to my eye some of these slabs closely resemble opalized wood.  I have collected one locality extensively here in central New Mexico and my material is distinct in color but has patterns that resemble the Nevada material.  What do you think?

[VegasJames]

Yes, all of it opalized wood from Nevada.