Ethiopian Opal For DUMMIES - All you Need to know!

For the first time ever on YouTube, I give detailed information about Ethiopian Welo opal, including an extensive demonstration of how to cut it in order to get the best color and appearance. I also show that Ethiopian opal is “hydrophane,” which is opal that absorbs water and essentially becomes clear, only to revert back to normal upon drying. I provide detailed information about cracks and how to avoid them. I compare Ethiopian Welo opal to different types of opal from around the world, including Australian opal, Brazilian opal, Honduran opal and Mexican opal. The quality of Welo opal is demonstrated and a comparison with other opal types, including Lightning Ridge Black opal and others is provided. In addition, I set the world's record for Rubik Cube. Table of Contents 00:32 – Welo Opal Water Absorption 00:58 – How to Store Ethiopian Welo Opal 01:10 – Comparison to Australian Opal 01:40 – “Working Rough” Ethiopian Welo Opal 02:06 – Cutting Welo Opal Wet #1 02:40 – Dealing with Cracks While Cutting Welo Opal 03:54 – Cutting Welo Opal Dry 04:50 – Giveaway Stone 04:59 – Cutting Welo Opal Wet #2 05:34 – What Ethiopian Opal Rough Looks Like 06:08 – Grading Ethiopian Opal and Prices 06:32 – Stress Cracking of Welo Opal 07:36 – How Some Welo Opal Cracks During Cutting 08:03 – Rubik Cube World Record Broken 09:11 – Rant About Sheila, My Assistant 11:44 – Sponsors of this Video 12:25 – Winners of Giveaways (3 Giveaways!) 13:03 – How to Enter New Giveaway Opal for this video was provided by: EthiopiaOpals.com Facebook: EthiopiaOpals Instagram: EthiopiaOpals Email: [email protected] (preferred contact method) (Jon Young) VillageSmithyOpals.com (Steve Newstrom) Instagram: ApexOpals (Ernest Alaffita)