Faceting Opal
From the Desert to the Bench: Faceting a 2025 Tucson Opal
There is a specific kind of tension that comes with faceting Ethiopian opal. Unlike sapphire or topaz, opal is a living stone—it carries water within its structure, and if you rush the process, the stone will let you know.
Today, I’m taking a look back at a journey that began nearly a year ago at the 2025 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. I walked away with several high-quality pieces of rough Ethiopian opal, but they didn't head straight to the lapidary wheel. Instead, they took a nine-month detour.
The Art of the "Arizona Cure"
Ethiopian opals are typically hydrophane, meaning they are porous and can absorb water. This makes them beautiful, but it also means they are prone to "crazing" (internal cracking) if the moisture levels change too rapidly.
To ensure these stones would last a lifetime in a piece of jewelry, I put them through a rigorous stabilization process:
The Climate: I kept the rough in the naturally arid environment of Arizona.
The Timeline: A full 9 months of drying.
The Result: By allowing the stones to reach equilibrium with the dry desert air before cutting, I can be confident that the finished gems are stable, seasoned, and structurally sound.
Why the Cushion Cut?
When it came time to select a shape for these stabilized pieces, the Cushion Cut was the clear winner. While many opals are left as cabochons, faceting a cushion shape into a high-translucency opal creates a "hall of mirrors" effect.
The pillowy, softened corners of the cushion cut provide a vintage feel, while the facets allow light to penetrate the stone and bounce off the internal "color play" structures. In a cabochon, the color rolls; in a faceted cushion, the color pops.
The Cutting Process
Faceting opal requires a delicate touch. Because the material is softer than many other gemstones, I use a high-grit lap and plenty of water to keep the stone cool.
Orienting the Fire: I spent hours looking through the translucent rough to find the "bars" of color. With a cushion cut, you want those flashes of neon green and sunset orange to be visible from every angle.
Cutting the Pavillion: I established the bottom facets first to create the "bowl" that reflects light back to the eye.
The Final Polish: This is where the magic happens. After nine months of waiting and hours of precision cutting, the polish brings out that glass-like translucency we worked so hard to preserve.
The Finished Masterpiece
The result of this year-long journey is a suite of gems that are as stable as they are spectacular. Sourced in 2025 and finally finished in 2026, these opals represent the patience required in the world of lapidary arts. They aren't just stones; they are a piece of the Arizona desert, refined and ready to shine.
