Recently a client fell in love with this unusual and fine black opal
(left). Black opal is found at Lightning Ridge in south Australia and
almost nowher else. The cutter noting the unusual color pattern in
the stone cut it to resemble a butterfly’s wing. We all agreed that
the best use of the gem would be to make a butterfly piece, in this
case a pendant for his wife. A combination brooch/pendant would have
added flexible but as his wife never wears pins he decided against a
combination piece. Few people have ever seen the steps necessary to
produce a fine handmade original so we decided to document the making
of this masterpiece.
Hi all, what a thrill to see an opal that I cut here in Lightning
Ridge in 2006, what a stunning piece. And Richard was so right
assuming that I saw a butterfly wing in the piece as I cut and
undulated it. Thanks for sharing, keeps me inspired when I see what
talented jewllers can do, Beautifull.
Great to know the cutter of our butterfly. The stone was artfully
cut and a joy to work with. You are right, we failed to capture the
orange in an image. This post has gotten more visits than any of the
others. Course the blog is only a little over a month old but stay
tuned.