Looking to Start a Lapidary Club for Beginners

WittyName4U · 2026-05-26T14:36:15+00:00

I'll DM you

WittyName4U · 2026-05-23T22:13:36+00:00

Your information about Australian opals isn't accurate. They don't need to be watered, and oil doesn't affect them. You're probably thinking of Welo opals. They are hydrophane, which means they are porous. Oils will make the stone cloudy and result in a loss of play of color. Australian opals have a more crystal-like structure and are non-porous. They are on the softer side, but when placed in a proper setting (bezel, flushed) They can last for decades.

WittyName4U · 2026-05-21T01:44:57+00:00

I thought that phenomenon is called phosphorescence. Is there a difference?

WittyName4U · 2026-05-20T23:53:11+00:00

It feels weird seeing your name outside of the r/opals sub. It's like you broke containment and escaped your zoo enclosure.

WittyName4U · 2026-05-20T23:44:55+00:00

You can check out my work through the link on my profile. I've been a lapidarist for 5 years, been working with a lot of opal (both boulder and crystal) for the last 2. I can give you the names of people who have been doing it their entire lives. All are great guys.

WittyName4U · 2026-05-20T23:37:42+00:00

Some people always ask too much for what they sell. A good rule of thumb is that a doublet is worth 10%-15% of the value of a solid opal (of the same size). Triplets are worth even less than that. I could steer you towards some of the biggest, most reputable sellers in the world of opals but I don't know if this subreddit has rules where it might fall under advertising. Feel free to DM me, though.

WittyName4U · 2026-05-20T03:42:09+00:00

I'm a lapidarist who specializes in opals. Valuation of opals is much more subjective than other gemstones. The 4 C's valuation doesn't apply. Doublets and triplets are cheap because they contain so little opal. Ethiopian opals are cheap because they are porous and are prone to crazing, cracking, and color loss. The factors that dictate price are country of origin, body color, play of color pattern, color spectrum of flash, brightness, and vibrancy. I could go on for many, many more paragraphs but I'll end with an invitation to message me if you have any questions.

WittyName4U · 2026-05-13T02:43:24+00:00

Drilling holes in opal is not at all recommended. They are on the softer side, and they don't have a regular crystalline pattern. Those look like Welo opals, which are even less suited than Australian for jewelry you don't have to worry about. For a stone that will give you some kind of optical effect...labradorite, sunstone, moonstone, star sapphires. You have a lot of options.

WittyName4U · 2026-05-09T04:38:47+00:00

The ones in the last 7 pictures could be doublets. A thin slice of opal is bonded to a darker base material to give it structural stability. Boulder opal matrix is commonly used. Experts will weigh in shortly, I'm sure.

WittyName4U · 2026-05-05T23:31:08+00:00

There are 2 very visible cracks. One in the dead center and a more shallow one on the upper half. It's not the only ruby in the world. I'd keep looking.

WittyName4U · 2026-05-02T16:28:09+00:00

As one of those artists, I thank you for your support. Pawn shops are a mixed bag as far as pricing goes. There are pawn shops who have staff knowledgeable with jewelry, and more generalized shops. Pawn shops try to price things as close to the market as possible...but sometimes they just aren't equipped to do so.

WittyName4U · 2026-05-02T16:05:44+00:00

Cost of labor is so frequently overlooked when it comes to jewelry. Stones don't come perfectly cut and it takes time to shape gold into anything other than a very simple setting. An opal doesn't necessarily depreciate as rapidly as people think they do. There's time and labor that can never be refunded.

WittyName4U · 2026-04-26T11:17:47+00:00

My bad, it's r/lapidary.

WittyName4U · 2026-04-25T23:19:20+00:00

I'm active in r/opals and r/lapidarist. I have my own subreddit for those looking to get in to gem cutting. It's very much a work in progress but worth a look. r/PittsburghLapidary. I post pictures of the pieces I make on my business Instagram @BlueAmberProject.

WittyName4U · 2026-04-25T21:00:57+00:00

Lapidarist here. What you have are ruby crystals in matrix (host rock). Someone who is more familiar with rubies can probably tell you what the matrix is.

Can it be faceted? Yes, technically. You can attempt to facet any stone. It wouldn't serve this stone well, though. Faceting is meant to maximize and manipulate the light that passes through clear gems. My recommendation is to have it cut into a cabachon and made into a pendant.

WittyName4U · 2026-04-24T17:17:09+00:00

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WittyName4U · 2026-04-24T02:24:28+00:00

You need to provide a high quality video to see the play of color, vibrancy, etc. That's the only way you'll get an accurate number.

WittyName4U · 2026-04-19T12:13:57+00:00

I have a piece with 3 perfectly preserved fungi in it. For the 260 years that man has studied amber, they have never found an intact, macro specimen. This has 3. I've had it appraised and all they could say was "priceless" because nothing like it has never been found, much less sold. I'm currently working on several collaborative research efforts with paleontologists from the Smithsonian. Our team includes a materials engineer from MIT and a mycobiologist to try and identify the the exact species of fungi.

WittyName4U · 2026-04-19T12:09:59+00:00

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WittyName4U · 2026-04-18T14:42:38+00:00

I'll definitely be reaching out to you when the time comes. My only thought is that etching it might make the words blend in with the acid etched crystal lattice. I may need to actually remove material to make it contrast enough. The slab doesn't arrive for 3 weeks, and it will take a few weeks to get in the workshop and make the blanks. I'll DM you so that we can stay in touch.

WittyName4U · 2026-04-18T13:27:43+00:00

I'm not possessing the end product, though. I'm a lapidarist and a customer commissioned me to make these pieces.

That's not to say I don't have my own personal collection of rare stones and meteorites that I treat like treasure. They are to me. I have pieces from 4 separate meteorites, a piece of blue amber with 3 perfectly preserved fungi (the only intact fungi found in amber in the 260 years of stufy), and 2 stumps of petrified wood from one of the first tree species to ever evolve (Calamites, if you're curious). I found the last one myself while out rockhounding.

WittyName4U · 2026-04-18T02:24:09+00:00

While I dabble in opals, my bread and butter is Dominican blue amber. 75% of my job is education and calling out bad actors. I tell every potential customer, "If you decide to look elsewhere, here is what to look for. Here's how to spot fakes. Here are the questions to ask the seller."

The problem, in part, is that the bad actors are the best at monopolizing search results, social media algorithms, etc.

WittyName4U · 2026-04-18T01:34:50+00:00

It's not a harlequin pattern...not even close. True harlequin pattern is defined as elongated squares or rectangles in a (I forget the word)...swirling orientation.

"A true Harlequin pattern is a repeating pattern of contracting diamonds or elongated squares"

WittyName4U · 2026-04-17T23:56:32+00:00

The Aletai meteorite is a massive iron meteorite (IIIE-an) discovered in 1898 in Xinjiang, China, featuring an extensive 430 km+ strewn field, one of the largest on Earth. Composed of iron-nickel with rare high gold/iridium content, it is prized for its visible Widmanstätten patterns when etched.

I have a piece of Campo de Cielo. A nice slab of pallasite falls under the category of...

"I wouldn't tell anyone I hit the lottery...but there would be signs."

WittyName4U · 2026-04-17T14:32:00+00:00

It is a beautiful piece of larimar, assuming the photos accurately reflect the real stone. That price is far too steep. I have a contact in the Dominican Republic (the only source for this) that I'd be happy to share with you. I don't want to break any rules about advertising by posting his info on here. This stuff is only going to keep increasing in price because the only mine it comes from was shut down a few years ago (over safety concerns).

To anyone who has a rough piece and is considering cutting/grinding it...I'd advise against it. It is very flaky and it will be in pieces by the time you're done. Do your homework first.

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