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orcagems
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Maintained by:
orcagems ( 1609 )   
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We have been in business since 1987. We sell Glass Opal Display Domes, Opal Stones, Opal Specimens, Ethiopian Opal, Australian Opal, Nevada Opal, Fossils, Faceted Stones, Opal Jewelry, Etc.! Welcome!
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AboutMe:Generate Template HTML
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150ct Crystal Opal
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Rainbow Ridge Mine, Virgin Valley, Nevada
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I have been digging for, polishing, and dealing in opals for close to 20 years, and still love these fascinating stones.
We do almost all of our sales on ebay; and at gem & jewelry shows.
Please visit our website to see more of what we offer: www.orcagems.com
We would be happy to list any requested items that we have in stock on ebay.......
Below is some information on the Ethiopian cachalong, or hydrophane porous opal; and a few tips on cutting that I have learned....Please email me with any cutting experiences you've had, and I'll try to pass them along in here!
Thanks for visiting; Sandy Craig - orcagems
Q: Hi Sandy! What does 'cachalong' mean? Does it mean more than 'porous' and 'non wear-able'?
A: Cachalong and Hydrophane, describe opals that are water permeable. (They also have the curious feature of sticking to your tongue.) They are thirsty, and will absorb water at a very fast rate. I have placed an opaque Ethiopian cachalong opal the size of a golf ball in water, and within 20 minutes it was totally transparent, soaked clear through. When this happens, much or all of the play of color is lost. It can take several days for it to return to normal, and regain it's color. I have done this repeatedly with some pieces, and they always eventually come back to their former glory. This type of opal also occurs in the Mexican, and especially the Nevada deposits. They are avidly collected, and some are quite valuable..... By 'non-wearable', I mean that a porous stone will absorb body oils, dish soap, etc. which will soon ruin the stone. They are also somewhat softer than non-porous opals. Knowing this, these stones CAN be set in pendants, for occasional wear, but must be handled accordingly....I hope this answers your question, thanks; - Sandy -
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Q: Sandy, can you give me any tips on cutting the Ethiopian Material?
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Basically, I cut mainly the crystal, clear - yellow - red types the most, and have found the browns to be the most unstable. The browns can also be REAL pretty though when you do get a good one. The contra-luz really are best for faceting, but I have cut 'cabochettes' that are absolutely spectacular. I just cut a rounded top, usually a triangle, and give it a 3 sided rounded 'pavilion' on the bottom. The bottom catches the light and throws it back through the stone, much like a faceted stone, and they are real easy to do on a cabbing machine, (since I don't facet.)
With either cabbing or faceting, keep it cool and wet; go slow. I also recommend cold dopping with Super Glue... With Australian opal, I usually polish with tin-oxide on a leather pad.... Don't do that with the Ethiopian opal....I have found that the heat build up will very often crack the stone, just when you thought you were home free! I go through the Nova wheels up to 14,000 grit and stop there........After all this, a certain number of them will crack anyway, it is just part of their make-up. Hopefully the ones that do make it make up for it, since they can be really quite valuable...Good luck, and let me know how you do! Thanks; - Sandy -
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Favorite Links
Other Size Glass Domes: Our website:
Great Facet and Cabochon Gems :Agate West
Top Ethiopian Opal Supplier: Opalinda
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| Listings |
To protect bidder privacy, when the price or highest bid on an item reaches or exceeds a certain level, User IDs will be displayed as anonymous names. For auction items, a bold price means at least one bid has been received.
Note: Anonymous names may appear more than once and may represent different bidders.
Our latest offerings!
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Item
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Start
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Price
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Title
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High Bidder/Status
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| 190313558623 |
Jun-09-09 |
Dec-06-09 10:21:44 |
$32.00 |
^+^ 10 Of Our Glass Opal Tubes |
Available |
| 190314834021 |
Jun-15-09 |
Dec-12-09 09:39:57 |
$249.00 |
^+^ Lightning Ridge Solid Black Opal - 3.38 ct.- (H5X) |
Available |
| 200353073417 |
Jun-15-09 |
Dec-12-09 09:45:24 |
$119.00 |
^+^ Lightning Ridge Solid Black Opal - 9.34 ct.- (H1W) |
Available |
| 200353073431 |
Jun-15-09 |
Dec-12-09 09:45:26 |
$9.00 |
^^^ Lightning Ridge Solid Black Opal - 1.04 ct.- (S6R) |
Available |
| 200353073463 |
Jun-15-09 |
Dec-12-09 09:45:31 |
$18.00 |
^^^ Lightning Ridge Solid Black Opal- 2.30 ct.- (S1R) |
Available |
| 200353073587 |
Jun-15-09 |
Dec-12-09 09:45:47 |
$39.00 |
^^^ Lightning Ridge Opal - 2.51 ct. - (R2Q) |
Available |
| 200353073758 |
Jun-15-09 |
Dec-12-09 09:46:07 |
$16.00 |
^^^ Lightning Ridge Solid Black Opal - .84 ct. - (M3X) |
Available |
| 190314835525 |
Jun-15-09 |
Dec-12-09 09:46:11 |
$11.00 |
^^ Faceted Ethiopian Opal - .14 ct. (D7Q) |
Available |
| 190314835556 |
Jun-15-09 |
Dec-12-09 09:46:19 |
$16.00 |
^^ Lightning Ridge Solid Black Opal - 1.01 ct. - (N1W) |
Available |
| 190314835621 |
Jun-15-09 |
Dec-12-09 09:46:40 |
$69.00 |
^^ Lightning Ridge Solid Black Opal - 1.79 ct. - (R4G) |
Available |
Go see all current items for sale by this member.
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| FeedBacks |
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Praise: Very very nice cabochon |
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Praise: Beautiful cabochon |
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User:ke71( 272 ) Date:Nov-20-09 15:00:48 PST |
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Praise: Beautiful stones! Color play indooors & in sunlight. A very knowledgable seller |
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Praise: ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL OPALS, LIGHTENING FAST SHIPPING, I WILL BE BACK, A+++++++++ |
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Praise: The best! Pics are true and so is description.Seller is quick to answer all ?'s |
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Praise: The item is nice, I love it ^^ |
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Praise: lovely gem, fast shipping, best ebay shop, thank you |
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Praise: always a pleasure doing business with you. |
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| User:jesmaco( 6 ) Date:Nov-17-09 11:04:16 PST |
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Praise: Fast shipping, easy transaction!!! |
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