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Post by opalpyrexia on Sept 13, 2018 14:03:54 GMT -5
Answer: Trying to photograph a bunch of opals at the same time! It's been a while since I was cutting, so I decided to work through a parcel of rough I had purchased on eBay in 2012, plus a few others just hanging around and two or three recuts or repolishes. Of course, all of them look better to the eye.
The top three rows are all from that parcel except for the small on in the third row. The middle two rows are doublets as is the small blue one in the bottom row. The big one in the third row was a crappy looking piece that became a nice surprise when it turned into a potential picture stone.
Lots of freeforms. I just hate cutting away fire.
Since buying the eBay parcel I haven't found any decent ones there. The same seller had also posted a second parcel and I took the bait. Unfortunately that parcel turned out to be very disappointing.
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Post by MsAli on Sept 13, 2018 14:13:29 GMT -5
Some of them need closeups 5th one second row is very eye catching
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Post by rockjunquie on Sept 13, 2018 14:42:16 GMT -5
Beautiful! I love the whites. I think that's a pretty damn good photo considering. I don't think I have ever gotten a really pic of an opal.... or and ammolite.
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Post by opalpyrexia on Sept 13, 2018 15:15:14 GMT -5
MsAli said: Some of them need closeups 5th one second row is very eye catching The best that I can do freehand without setting up equipment. Looks washed out to me.
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Post by MsAli on Sept 13, 2018 15:17:20 GMT -5
I could stare at that all day. Beautiful!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2018 15:23:27 GMT -5
Lots of freeforms. I just hate cutting away fire. I can't understand cutting away fire, either. Not everything has to fit into a pre-made, cookie-cutter setting. You did a good job getting the color flashes. I find photographing any optical phenomenon gemstone frustrating. Very often, a short video does a better job, but I'm even less good at getting a good video clip at anything like a reasonable file size than I am at still photos. By far, the most exasperating gem for me in either still or video is precious Fire obsidian - matter of luck to get focused on the fire (too often get a picture of me and/or the camera lens and/or glare - tried filters, photo'ing underwater, using/not using auto focus, and other tricks people have offered.
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Post by opalpyrexia on Sept 13, 2018 15:42:45 GMT -5
Beautiful! I love the whites. I think that's a pretty damn good photo considering. I don't think I have ever gotten a really pic of an opal.... or and ammolite.
Thanks. The first two opals in the first row are white, but not typical "white base". They have a precious crystal layer sitting on top of an underlying natural, non-precious white opal base. The four to the right of them are actually crystal opal.
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Post by rockjunquie on Sept 13, 2018 15:53:17 GMT -5
Beautiful! I love the whites. I think that's a pretty damn good photo considering. I don't think I have ever gotten a really pic of an opal.... or and ammolite.
Thanks. The first two opals in the first row are white, but not typical "white base". They have a precious crystal layer sitting on top of an underlying natural, non-precious white opal base. The four to the right of them are actually crystal opal.
I know I'm an oddball, but I have always preferred the white and crystal over black. Not that I don't love black opal, too. Hell, I love all opals Preferring Australian). Quite probably my favorite stone. I have never cut any though. Afraid to. I wouldn't know how to buy rough, either. I do have some really nice cabs in my stash, though.
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Post by bobby1 on Sept 13, 2018 19:03:27 GMT -5
I use a black-based small plastic box from Tap Plastics to photograph my opals. I fill it with water to just above the cab. When I shoot the photo I angle the camera so that the light used for the photo doesn't reflect off the surface of the water. Bob
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Post by opalpyrexia on Sept 13, 2018 21:42:55 GMT -5
I know I'm an oddball, but I have always preferred the white and crystal over black. Not that I don't love black opal, too. Hell, I love all opals Preferring Australian). Quite probably my favorite stone. I have never cut any though. Afraid to. I wouldn't know how to buy rough, either. I do have some really nice cabs in my stash, though. From what I've seen of your work I'd say that you should have no reason to be afraid of cutting opal. In most cases opal presents no serious concerns. On machines bigger than a Pixie you just need to be a little cautious and check progress more frequently.
As for purchasing rough, I've been out of the market for several years as I still have a good supply. Others may be able to suggest sources, but to start you can't go wrong with Steve Newstrom, aka Village Smithy Opals (villagesmithyopals.com). He has some small, reasonably low-priced Coober Pedy parcels available. I took his cutting class back in 2009.
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Post by opalpyrexia on Sept 13, 2018 21:44:48 GMT -5
I use a black-based small plastic box from Tap Plastics to photograph my opals. I fill it with water to just above the cab. When I shoot the photo I angle the camera so that the light used for the photo doesn't reflect off the surface of the water. Bob
Great idea! Thanks. I'll have to try that. Besides, it gives me a good reason to visit my local Tap Plastics, one of my favorite stores.
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Post by fernwood on Sept 14, 2018 5:58:28 GMT -5
Those are great. Opal is one of my favs.
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Post by miket on Sept 14, 2018 9:16:15 GMT -5
All are very cool- brilliant!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Sept 14, 2018 9:32:47 GMT -5
Nice stones!
I second Bobby's suggestion of photographing them under water.
Unfortunately, there's not much opal rough available anymore. The last parcel we bought was from Trevor Berry, but we learned from an Aussie who was at our club show this year who knows him that he has retired. I used to buy a lot of opal from him when he was on Ebay, but that was a long time ago (10 years at least). Not a lot of mining going on and with the Mintabie and Lambina fields being shut down, even less. There are only 4 (I think) old timers still mining Lightning Ridge.
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Post by opalpyrexia on Sept 14, 2018 9:46:10 GMT -5
Not a lot of mining going on and with the Mintabie and Lambina fields being shut down, even less. There are only 4 (I think) old timers still mining Lightning Ridge.
That's my understanding as well. The combination of Australia tightening its environmental restrictions and growing Ethiopian opal mining have effectively shut it down. In addition to that, some miners abandoned risky opal mining for steady jobs in gold and mineral mining.
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