Opal Help

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Hello all bored as I can be lately so looked at some opal rough,something I try to avoid (just to attracted)
I read as much as try to remove stone/sand. I bought a drommel kit(pieces)
I am surprised how much opal is becoming exposed as I thought it thin pointless veins.
Should I keep grinding to opal as in picture 2 (which I will call the bottom) or should I grind the top in picture 3. Are both sides recommended to be cut back or do I leave a base of rock on 1 side
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Opal shows better with a dark backing, so to leave one side would be best. However, the opal/potch exposed so far seems fairly translucent. I'd leave it in the rock. It shows better in the seams as a specimen (such as in pic 4), in my humble opinion. But if you do continue to work away at it, I'd be curious to see the end result. I love opals! My grandfather was an opal miner who cut and polished his own finds. One of his bits of knowledge passed down to us about cutting them, was, 'You've gotta know when to leave it be!' :)
 
Thanks Megsy but you just mad it more challenging for me :D I was one of these weird kids that pulled stuff apart to see why it worked not how it worked, I would leave the putting back together for the professionals :8 .
I only want to take it so far but in the right direction appreciate your experience and advice :Y:
 
Funny you should suggest that, I was wondering something along those lines with the unusual shape of it. Could be! And tricky for a professional to put back together a grinded opal, mate! lol. But if you're going to go ahead with it, I'd suggest a go at the 'top' then. Or get it confirmed as a fossilized opal and keep it as is, then. Good luck! :)
 
Gem in I said:
would I be wrong in thinking it was somethings back or tail vertebrae at some point ?
I don't think so. What I see is a sandstone matrix replaced by ironstone (i.e. as in boulder opal) - if you look you can see what appear to be grains of sand. Fossils replaced by opal are replaced by the opaline silica alone, not by sandstone.
 
Thanks goldierocks that was also the opinion of an opal shop I visited today and I should probably seek some advice from people in winton qld if I wanted to pursue that avenue but I will probably put down to imagination of shape. The shop also suggested cutting through it three different directions in search of gem quality material but i'm not comfortable with that idea just yet as megsy made a good point about putting opal back together :)
sorry for your loss Megsy hope the happy memories surface for you.
 
So I have stopped doing this side to use as the base.
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Still grinding at the top not much happening.
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So I have got some gem quality on the left hand side so I will now leave that alone.
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Decided to work this side and I am not sure if its the 6 :beer: or spinning to fast with the drill.
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craacckk
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looking back at 5th pic (without the :beer: goggles ) I think there was a crack waiting to happen?

Appears to have saved me some work and opened up a bigger seam. On :fire: I hope.
 

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