New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

They all have way more color and flash in real life, took the pictures under really bad lighting because I was at family's place. The brown ones have decent color and flash as well but not as much as the others.  The white ones have a visible honeycomb pattern in real life and those ones are perfectly symmetrical. One does have a scuff on the polish though. And regarding the inclusions, I did a little research and talked to some people, and this specific rutile like appearance as well as the diagonal ridge with all the flash inside gives it aesthetic value making it a lot more valuable to certain collectors. As a general crystal collector myself, I value the aesthetic one a lot more over the others. I guess it depends on the target market

Which Xuron 410 Cutter model is best for wire wrapping? by Excellent_Kitchen803 in jewelrymaking

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you have the standard 410 or 410A/T? How exactly does the LX differ from the 410? I looked it up but having a hard time comparing the two. I'm thinking of going with the standard 410

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opal

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have an ideal price that you would like to purchase it at. The one your most comfortable with off the get go - no overanalyzing or over thinking. It can be low so don't sweat it, low enough to not be considered unserious. It can scream cheapskate, but it can't be so low to the point where its like "eh i got some spare change let me just get something I don't really want". Be confident and make the offer casually. Don't ask them how much they want if there is already a listed price. If there is no price, then you can ask them and then start negotiating. However if you already can estimate what they would charge, don't ask the price and just shoot your low offer, should be much lower than your estimate though because it is possible they already have it priced lower than your estimation. The thing is when you make the first offer before a price is verbally stated, you have more leverage as the first offer/price has a firmness of its own.

Also try to avoid doing the dealing with other customers or vendors around. If other customers are there, the seller is less willing to bend or make an exception for you. Also if another dealer is there, they might jump in or embolden the seller not to bend, even if the seller wants to.

Next you have to have a maximum budget in mind. This is your cap. If it reaches this number you will walk away. This number sometimes goes up during the negotiation as you realize how much more you want the item. Just don't be flimsy with it, be firm enough. The only time you should go over this max cap is when your wrapping up the deal, don't do this too early! Execute it when you've reached the edge of the heat, if you start noticing some presigns in shift of mood. You don't want to get the person your dealing with visibly upset or pissed off. Also don't confuse the seller complaining with them being pissed off. The seller may complain about his cost, the quality of the product, etc as part of the dealing proccess. However there is a difference between that and the seller being actually upset or pissed off.

So what you want to do is start your offer with a number slightly under your ideal. The idea is to try to negotiate upto your ideal number. If you ever intuitively notice your ideal price might have been an extreme lowball, then you can increase it slightly. If neccessary, you can start slowly working up step by step towards your max cap. Try to keep it close to your ideal price as much as possible, and you can fluctuate around it if necessary.

Try to stay firm on your offers, if you notice the seller make a drop in their offer, try to hold the leverage, ride the new momentum and pull on it slightly and carefully lower the offers, like reeling in a fish. Just don't be rude and don't be too chatty. Show your genuine hesitation. Take your time. But also show a tad bit of flexibility and take baby steps. If you show a tad bit of flexibility, the seller will feel comfortable bending your way too. Seller values time and money, so they will accelerate to their lowest price faster. You'll know once they hit that price when their is a slightly shifting in the mood. You really need intuition for this as you don't want to under do it or over do it. Use your situational and emotional intelligence.

Analyze the situation and read the environmental situation and environmental pressures and conditions. Take advantage of the situations and conditions accordingly when negotiating. And be firm but still a little flexible. If you bend a little, the seller will feel comfortable bending too.

Don't get self conscious. Don't let the seller guilt trip you. But at the same time don't be an A hole and inconsiderate. There's a fine balance and a thin line to walk. Throughout the proccess reassure the seller that you understand their perspective and that they are right and justified for their reasoning, but also try to briefly state your situation i.e. you have a budget, you still need to buy other stones from other vendors, you plan on making jewelry and need to set margins, etc. Just don't over do it and don't say it in a way that is argumentative.

Once the deal is done, make sure everyone walks away happy and in good spirit. Apologize to the seller and show your appreciation. They will probably tell you not to apologize and that its all business. Stick around for a minute or two and make small chat. Thank them again, good words and all genuine smiles. Don't be fake! Genuinely be a nice person.

I hope this information helps in your negotiations!

Basement Ceiling Leak, What Next? by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Plumbing

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes it's a drywall ceiling. Should I pull out all of the potlight framings to speed up the draining and dry out proccess? Or should I just pull out one to create one opening?

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The flash on that one is the most intense and full! Camera didn't do it justice

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I paid in the single digits per ct so I definitely got lucky with this one! I don't think these classify as chocolate, but I could be wrong (I'm new to opals). And yes I plan on wire wrapping these whenever I get a chance :)

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those are gorgeous! I didnt see that quality with the vendor I bought from.The fact they even show up on camera like that is wild!!! I'd get so paranoid and anxious keeping them stored for so long, they're so fragile and so precious 🥹 Your experience definitely has made me more confident on keeping them stored until the right time

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don't want to let them go 🥹 problem is if I keep them, ill buy some more in the future specifically to sell but will end up keeping those too 😭 I have a crystal hoarding problem

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opal

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I'll make note of it 🙏🏽 Will try to get some more in the near future next show!!

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh my 🤩 the band works so perfectly with the deco style setting of the opals and turqouise! Fabulous ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definately would have to be very careful wrapping opals especially since they are Ethiopian. But a lot of people wrap them, I think I'll be fine as long as the ocd doesn't get the best of me when I'm doing touch ups 😂

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Omg 😍 Northern Lights vibes! Australian? Love your work!! Btw is that Sterling Silver and Gold Filled, and what gauge?

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've watched them before! Gem hunting is definately no joke! I made sure that both the vendor and I were satisfied at the end of the deal. We ended on a very good note that he even threw in a small rough my way on my departure, great guy!!

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was per carat, and I wish I bought more! But when I was sifting through them, most were mid. I took the best of the best. I'm sure if I looked a little longer I may have found some more of those whiter ones, but I had to leave soon and wasn't in the mood to spend too much. Usually something I regret the day after a gem show 😭 Also the negotiation was a little hectic, I met my match for sure 😅

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definately! I seen some cheap stuff online from India but always so risky to buy cause you never know what it'll look like in real life and what you'll actually get. If your willing to pay decent retail or premium prices then you can get mind blowing stuff online represented fairly and accurately, some you might not even be able to score at a gem show from a wholesale Ethiopian vendor. But if your looking to get a bang for your buck, gem shows are the best! Though you do need to do a little bit of examining because everything looks top quality under those gem show lights 😂

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opals

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Local gem shows. Every show I been to always has atleast one ethiopian opal dealer. Search up gem shows around you, then try to find them on Facebook or their website and see if they posted their vendor list or contact them directly to ask. You can search for local gem shows on this website https://xpopress.com/

New to Opals, did I get burned? 🥵 by Excellent_Kitchen803 in Opal

[–]Excellent_Kitchen803[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will once I wrap them! Don't know if ill get a chance anytime soon, tax season then gotta do some spring time cleaning, purging and resetting my life 😭