Opal occurs in a number of different ways and different locations around the world.
These things have to be cut apart to find the seams of opal in the boulders.
You have to imagine these narrow seams of opal running throughout these boulders.
What I do is I reduce it down to probably 10-15% of its original waist, then I carry
that back here to where I have my little gem cutting workshop, and then you start to become
more precise with your machinery.
The very first stone I ever cut way, way, way back had to be cut correctly.
There always had to be that, and once you've always been doing that then you recognize
it very easily.
I follow a lot of the traditions that we as human beings have developed over thousands
of years.
A lot of things we have now haven't been arrived at by accident, it's just been the progression
of development over time.
There are shapes and things that appeal to most people.
We cut a lot of our stone into symmetrical shapes, teardrops, ovals, cushion shape.
It's more attractive to the eye.
The opal will tell you how it should be cut.
All we do is we will bring out what it's trying to tell us.
The piece of oval sort of demands that it be cut that way.
One that is perfectly well cut, well orientated, it just stands out against one that's not.
All stones that we cut are cut to their maximum displayability, their greatest perfection.
There are opals that you have to look at, and there are opals that look at you.
I met Rod about seven years ago when I had my factory.
Then I started to set opal into jewellery myself, and I realized the difference between
the opal I had in my hand from other cutters to the opal that I had from Rod.
So immediately my eye was drawn to the detail on the opal that Rod had done without even
mentioning, and before you know it, Rod and I were in business.
When we approached our designers, we came to them with a completely different design.
We spoke about it I think for two or three weeks about what we're going to do.
We got the guys on the computer to draw up a couple of different designs, and then finally
we set it on that, the three tier pendant.
Our guys have been setting gemstones and diamonds for probably twenty something years, most
of them a second generation.
It's not the easiest stone to work with in the world.
So yeah, it's been a long road, but the guys are there.
The quality of setting is world class.
The quality of polishing, filing, design, every aspect is world class.
The boulder opal on this pendant is thirteen and a half carats surrounded by three point
two five carats of the finest Belgium cut diamonds.
The quality of diamonds doesn't get any finer than this.
We're quality controlling thirteen times before an item is finished, and the reason
for that is we just don't want to go forward if there's anything wrong.
So by having the thirteen steps is really crucial to having a finished product that
you can be proud of, that you can put your name against and give it a lifetime warranty.
There's no use having something twelve months later break.
I want this thing done right, really, I really do want this thing done right, to give justice
to the opal.
