Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
I again believe that this poll vote was domed before it began. It was phrased in a yes or no option, when it should have been some are and some are not. So Synthetic Turquoise would fall in the no, as it is a imitation or simulant.
A buyer is asking me to provide a 50x20mm opal stone for $10 (for the piece) because one of their suppliers is offering "natural" opal at these prices (photos attached). Either clear, or black or white.
They are bent on it being a natural stone. Someone please tell me where to find something like this!
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
I have whitish common natural opal rough, but I wouldn't sell a piece big enough to cut a cabochon that size for ten dollars never the less a finished piece. That's why there are Gem-Faires or least there was before covid-19. I also would not believe that pic 2 & 3 are natural opal. Your customer wants the deal but not the risk.
Common opal is very cheap. I usually don't keep any, though - when I find it at Spencer, I don't pay the $35/pound price when i can restrict it to opal with color. The real cost I see is in making a cab from it.
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
I agree to a point, I do not think all common opal is cheap, maybe the discarded scraps and chunks of sand riddled, fractured material is cheap. Why it is tossed to the side and sold by the pound to the searchers and hopeful looking for the the piece of miracle play of color the miner missed. Solid common natural opal of white, blue, pink, cream and other color varieties are not cheap and especially sizes that would be needed to cut a 50x30mm cabochon.
I agree to a point, I do not think all common opal is cheap, maybe the discarded scraps and chunks of sand riddled, fractured material is cheap. Why it is tossed to the side and sold by the pound to the searchers and hopeful looking for the the piece of miracle play of color the miner missed. Solid common natural opal of white, blue, pink, cream and other color varieties are not cheap and especially sizes that would be needed to cut a 50x30mm cabochon.
Some of the colored stuff isn't cheap, but the white stuff can be REALLY cheap.
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2016 7:58 pm Posts: 1424 Location: San Marcos, CA
dchallener wrote:
glhays wrote:
I agree to a point, I do not think all common opal is cheap, maybe the discarded scraps and chunks of sand riddled, fractured material is cheap. Why it is tossed to the side and sold by the pound to the searchers and hopeful looking for the the piece of miracle play of color the miner missed. Solid common natural opal of white, blue, pink, cream and other color varieties are not cheap and especially sizes that would be needed to cut a 50x30mm cabochon.
Some of the colored stuff isn't cheap, but the white stuff can be REALLY cheap.
Yes some REALLY low grade white stuff can be free at the fee dig. I agree completely.
I agree to a point, I do not think all common opal is cheap, maybe the discarded scraps and chunks of sand riddled, fractured material is cheap. Why it is tossed to the side and sold by the pound to the searchers and hopeful looking for the the piece of miracle play of color the miner missed. Solid common natural opal of white, blue, pink, cream and other color varieties are not cheap and especially sizes that would be needed to cut a 50x30mm cabochon.
Some of the colored stuff isn't cheap, but the white stuff can be REALLY cheap.
That's interesting. So do you think the first photo that shows the transparent stone could be natural?
Some of the colored stuff isn't cheap, but the white stuff can be REALLY cheap.
Yes some REALLY low grade white stuff can be free at the fee dig. I agree completely.
Outaide of a few desireable colors common opal is very inexpensive. If you want white opal (cacholong) you can get it by the pound at Tucson. Many flavors of common opal can be found quite abundantly in the right geological context. The valuable green, blue, purple, red and pink varieties are very much the exception.
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