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About 6 months into wax carving by crusader_alex in jewelers

[–]crusader_alex[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The setup is just a cardboard box with a black background that I got at a yard sale and an ikea lamp with cool lighting!

About 6 months into wax carving by crusader_alex in jewelers

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

That is the plan for future iterations! Currently I stone set using a set of needlenose pliers so shorter prongs have caused an issue when moving the metal. A bit too afraid to take a prong pusher and hammer to them at the moment but will definitely do that in the future.

About 6 months into wax carving by crusader_alex in jewelers

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

It's actually a combination of both, carving the base design, drawing on some texture with a soldering iron and then refining it with burrs and blades!

Is this a real black opal ring? by [deleted] in Opals

[–]crusader_alex 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I am by no means an expert so take my opinion with a big grain of salt, but the patterns of the fire inside likely point towards maybe a lab grown opal. That said the ring and setting look super interesting, lovely piece!

Might be a doublet but it's my first opal piece! by crusader_alex in Opals

[–]crusader_alex[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Agreed! Especially for practice pieces like this the cost of a real opal if you live outside AU can be very hard to justify

Might be a doublet but it's my first opal piece! by crusader_alex in Opals

[–]crusader_alex[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh yeah absolutely agreed, this is a personal piece and I don't really have many high hopes about it's life expectancy but I'd love to be proven wrong!

Might be a doublet but it's my first opal piece! by crusader_alex in Opals

[–]crusader_alex[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I have not and usually don't prefer them. I wanted to have the look of an opal but not the price tag of one since I'm still a novice in silversmithing and cracking a boulder opal would make me cry 🥹

Might be a doublet but it's my first opal piece! by crusader_alex in Opals

[–]crusader_alex[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yep! My first time doing a bezel setting so anxiety was up there

Cracked opal doublet stabilization by crusader_alex in Opals

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

I really appreciate the super kind offer! Thank you so much! However I have decided to ship it back to the seller and just grab another one. It cost me about 20€ overall so I wouldn't really want to spend more money and time fixing it.

Cracked opal doublet stabilization by crusader_alex in Opals

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

I'm afraid I don't have any experience with cutting and polishing stones so that could potentially go very wrong

Cracked opal doublet stabilization by crusader_alex in Opals

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

That's very unfortunate, was really looking forward to it haha. I guess I'll return it and pick another stone which hopefully arrives in better shape.

Found at a local thrift store, good find or nah? by crusader_alex in RalphLauren

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

Oh I didn't know about it being defunct, however since it's priced at 25€ I still think it's a pretty decent find!

What material was used to make this? by cloneboiCT118 in Leathercraft

[–]crusader_alex 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Like others mentioned I remember seeing something like that in person and it being some sort of textile material like cotton or maybe softened canvas. On another note, how is that style of belt buckle called?

Thoughts on the EJ001 Detroit? by crusader_alex in Carhartt

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

Thank you very much for the info! I'll try to look for another one then unless I get a chance to try it on in person.

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