Below is the entire list of Johno's blog posts relating to Opal Cutting.
7 April 2023 by Johno
Grey Potch.I had recently purchased a parcel of opal that contained quite a lot of potch as well as some nice colour. I put the potch to one side and forgot about it. Last week I went through it again and saw what I thought was a faint red band...
22 September 2020 by Johno
Experimenting with Opal Doublets and TripletsWith plenty of time on my hand during the Corona Virus lock-down I decided to experiment with the making of opal doublets and triplets.Traditionally doublets are made with a potch backing and triplets with a potch backing and a clear glass, plastic or quartz top....
5 May 2015 by Johno
Opal cutting using flat lap machines has many advantages. For many years I had cut and polished opal using the conventional grinding wheels. I started on a two wheel carborundum grinder as that was all I could afford. By being very careful and ensuring I used the full width of...
12 July 2010 by Johno
Cutting Opal is really about grinding away the colourless opal or potch and shaping your stone to an appealing shape while revealing the best colour on the prominant face of the stone. As explained elsewhere great care should be taken to study the stone before any grinding is carried...
23 June 2010 by Johno
What on earth does "dopping opal" mean? If you have ever tried cutting and polishing opal or any other small stone by holding it in your fingers you will know it is very difficult to do and will often result in grinding a hole in your finger as well...
7 June 2010 by Johno
The cutting and polishing of opal will require some machinery in order to shape and polish the stones. There are many different types of machinery available and it can be very expensive. If you are just starting to cut opal or any other gemstone, you can do so without spending...