[Jewelry making - Article 00041] - Re: [Orchid] Opal Setting?

[Dave Sebaste]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========


    Hi Friends, I wasn't going to wade in on this, but feel I have
    something to add. It is my belief that some opals... even stone
    specific, not just locale specific, are prone to cracking and
    crazing, and others are not. It may have to do with mining techniques
    or the geologic properties of the stone. I don't believe there is
    anything that can be done to prevent a cut stone from cracking it is
    predisposed to do so. Conversely, I think if a stone is stable, and
    prudent care is taken, it will always be stable. 

    I have heard in the past that professional opal cutters will keep
    cut stones in their inventory for a year to watch for cracking before
    they are put on the market. After a year, they can be reasonably
    confident the stone is stable. I guess kind of like the delayed
    gratification of a vintner or distillery. Still, I have to wonder if
    this isn't a lapidary "old wife's tale" because most people I know
    need to turn inventory back into revenue as quickly as possible. 

    I also feel that unless an opal is museum quality, it would be a
    shame not to share it with the world. Stable opals are not as
    dangerously fragile as many people seem to think, as long as they
    don't get banged up and abused in daily wear. To put an opal (or
    tanzanite, for that matter) in a ring, one had better have a metal
    structure to prevent the stone from being impacted directly. 

    P.S. While most boulder opals I've purchased are sold by the piece,
    some are priced by the carat. Of course, the price per carat is below
    that of solid gem opal, and takes into account the matrix:opal ratio,
    and the intangible "wow" factor. Don't you think the dealer must have
    some benchmark in mind, even if sold by the piece? Otherwise price
    differences in two sizes of the same type of stone would be
    arbitrary. 

All the best,
Dave
Dave Sebaste
Sebaste Studio and
Carolina Artisans' Gallery
Charlotte, NC (USA)
dave AT sebaste.com 
http://www.CarolinaArtisans.com 

____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________