4 by 4 mm princess faceted Australian Opal?

[Agnesg]

Helo! I am looking for a 4 by 4 mm princess/square faceted Australian Opal. I have look all possible sites and hardly even see a faceted one, mostly are cabs. Have you came across one? I am able to accept a bigger square. Or do you know of any custom cutter that can cut me one? hks so much.

 

[Arkteia]

I do not know about Australian opals, but I am under an impression that Michael E. had several opals. I have not checked it myself, but it may be worth while asking him, just in case.

 

[jstarfireb]

Also check out Dan Stair. He has cut many opals, faceted and cab, and if he has Australian opal rough, you may be able to work with him.

 

[Agnesg]

thks! I will check them out.

 

[Largosmom]

Seconding Dan Stair...he does really nice opal faceting. I would consider something without really pointy corners however, opal can be fragile and soft...particularly if this is for a ring.

Laura

 

[Agnesg]

Thnks Laura for the reminder!

Can someone suggest the best shape to minimize possible chipping (esp on the corners) for such soft stone? I really like a princess but will it pose a disaster during setting? (I do not have a great bench here)..also, can you recommend a shape'cut that is shallow in depth, without windowing as I would prefer my ring to sit low in the setting thks!

 

[Largosmom]

Well, opal usually wouldn't have a window as it is generally not translucent or transparent. Some opal is see-through, but I wouldn't put australian opal into that category. Fire opals, which generally come in shades of yellow, orange or red, are more transparent or translucent than crystal opal.

This is a photo of three of my opals. The large oval is an australian opal cabochon that my dad purchased on a trip there several years ago. The opal in the ring is most likely also an Aussie opal, but i don't know for sure. The round is a faceted opal from Dan, that opal is from Ethiopia..not appropriate for a ring generally as it's a type of opal that will absorb water or other liquids. I plan to make a pendant from it this year.


This is an angled view of my faceted opal from Dan Stair (www.customgemstones.com)


You can see that windowing is not likely to be an issue for an opal unless I misunderstood the type of opal you are looking for. I would suggest you check out (google) the shape called a "barion square". A princess square with the corners a bit clipped may also be fine.

Dan has two round faceted opals on his site at the moment. I've seen him post a barion square in the past. The big question will be if he has a piece of rough opal deep enough for a faceted stone. Most opal cabochons are quite thin, while faceted stones have a lot of depth to them. For example, a round like my faceted opal in a cabochon form, may only be as thick as the girdle and the crown of the stone.

I hope this helps.

 

[Agnesg]

Very beautiful examples Laura thank you I will try to check out a barion square.

 

[Largosmom]

Are you trying to fit a setting you already have? You know, I guess I missed that this was a 4mm square (sorry!)...that is fairly small and the depth may not be as much of a problem as I would have thought otherwise. If the prongs protect the corners of the stone then you might be able to go with your original idea.

Laura

 

[gsellis]

Well, opal usually wouldn't have a window as it is generally not translucent or transparent. Some opal is see-through, but I wouldn't put australian opal into that category. Fire opals, which generally come in shades of yellow, orange or red, are more transparent or translucent than crystal opal.

...

Dan has two round faceted opals on his site at the moment. I've seen him post a barion square in the past. The big question will be if he has a piece of rough opal deep enough for a faceted stone. Most opal cabochons are quite thin, while faceted stones have a lot of depth to them. For example, a round like my faceted opal in a cabochon form, may only be as thick as the girdle and the crown of the stone.

Forget depth on faceted opal. A window design is actually better. The color from an opal comes from light reflecting off of the structures. A normal facet design will 'backlight' those structures and possibly diminish any fire (it can create new from the facet, but it does not have the movement).

Agnesg - a 4 x 4 is pretty small. I know I could not assure that I would find good fire cutting to that size.

This is a faceted Welo in a square design (Marco Voltolini - Sparkly Dome - a new design with a 'Portuguese" style pavilion).

 

[Largosmom]

Great info. There are so few faceted opals that it's tough to find good info on them.

 

[Agnesg]

Thks George Ellis and Laura. It was meant to be a family stone ring. Bob Kast initially thought that he has the 5 different stones I needed in his inventory but just found out that he does not..

Can someone tell me where can I get a 4mm opal, moonstone, peridot, emerald and citrine (unheated, no oil) in a uniform size, preferably square?thks

 

[Largosmom]

There may be some custom cuts needed unless one of the larger sites has what you like. I suggest trying Dana at www.mastercutgems.com.. My impression is that he has a pretty good selection of inventory or rough to choose from and he has a lot of experience cutting calibrated stones to the same measurements. Others may also be able to help but I'd start there if it were me.

Laura