I Bought an OPAL MINE !!
Share This Video: https://youtu.be/vGYeZlGWhW0
Sibelle’s Site (Opals): https://www.sibelley.com/opals
About two years ago I went up to Nevada to go opal mining at the Royal Peacock Opal mine. And I just LOVED IT!!! There’s something just so awesome and fun about mining specifically for opals. I think unlike mining for gold, diamonds, or any other precious stone or metal each opal is truly unique. And I think it’s that unknown that adds to the excitement every time you come upon something that shines in a bunch of different colors. I loved my experience so much I went back to the same area the following year, but this time I went to the BONANZA mine which is just a few miles from the first mine. And while I was there they told me that it was possible to actually buy into the mine and own a piece of the mine as a shareholder. This immediately went on my goal board. One year later I saved up my cash and bought one share to the Bonanza Opal mine. I think I’m both stoked that I set a goal and nailed it, but also because I have access to opal mining on a whole new level now. So over the 4th of July weekend, I went up to the Opal Mine. Now, one of the biggest problems with this type of opal is that it cracks and crazes so easily because it has such a high water content. For this reason, most of the opal is not considered gem quality, but rather specimen quality, meaning it looks awesome, but it’s hard to make into jewelry Last year we used an epoxy resin to seal up the outside of the Opal so that it wouldn’t craze and crack in an attempt to make it more usable for jewelry, but this year I want to try something else. There is a type of glass called borosilicate glass that is used in labware and other items where the glass meets an open flame ; ) This type of glass has very similar thermal expansion coefficients as opal, so we’re going to see if we can successfully put some of the opal I found at the mine into this materials to create a protective outer layer made of borosilicate glass.
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#opal #opalmining #opals
Production Team:
Writer/Producer: Nick Uhas
DP: Kaleb Seaton
Editor: Jared Sarreal
Best Girl: Opal Roo (the dog)
yo Nick Congrats On Big Brother All Star!!! Win it for me!!!
Andrea sent me XD
We just released an interesting and raw documentary about brazilian opals. Find out more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWMRD5ab4Jo
How much was one share
I know it’s way more fun to put the opal in glass this way, more artistic, and you can make the glass to fit to gem, not the other way around. But the average person out there that doesn’t have access to that kind of equipment and expertise:
Craft stores and any place that sells jewelry making equipment have great selections of little vials, double-sided clear lockets, tiny jars with tiny corks you can wear around your neck, etc. many of these are designed to hold small chips of rocks or gems, or even sand.
So if you’re broke like me, but this captured your imagination, there are lots of ways you can replicate that ship in a bottle look with any tiny bit of rock or gem. Really you can do this with anything that will fit. Of course, they *sell* a million little things that will fit into those lockets, but it’s a way to hold onto tiny natural stuff. Dried plants or flowers, seeds, sand, tiny shells from the beach, you get the idea.
you can put lab or synthetic opal in glass lampwork my late friend Shannon Hill who was a glass work artist use to do it all the time in his work i still have one of the pendants with opal that he made
That’s my birth stone 🙂
1 share??
says 2,500 shares… lol
0:53
Opals are so freaking beautiful!! They are so different and the variety is amazing. I wish I could something like that.
My bongs been had crushed opal lmao
Opal is my birthstones
Why not try putting the opal into a cold annealing oven, then bring it up close to the glass working temperatures before trying to weld it into the glass?
So cool to learn how this is done. Great channel. Glad I subscribed. Been spending most of my Saturday going through this channel and discovering some great stuff. Like and share this channel, people.
Sitting in my glass studio waiting for my kiln to fire up… interesting but the opals we use are synthetic to match the C.O.E 33 of borosilicate… give me a follow @stabhandglass
Better opal in Australia way better
Can i have a piece please??
This channel is soo underrated
"In pretty sure this has never been done before" ROFL i stick opals on every single pipe i make. The flame worker you saw was absolutely ignortant to any and all things glass….you cannot encase real opal in any type of glass. You are RIGHT the COE isnt that far off of boro..which is COE 33. but the water content is way way way to high. What chunks and stuff yiu did get to incase will end up stressing and shattering those pieces before they even ship out. The only opals that can be incased are Gilson opals…or lab made silicon based opals.
How much is it to buy land mate
Hey Nick this is the first time I’ve caught your page I’m really fascinated by ovals I had bought my fiance and antique blue fire opal in a platinum Claddagh setting and didn’t know how much it was worth until we had it appraised and it was worth more than her engagement ring she’s kind of mad at me. But I want to say thank you for your content it’s an amazing program and you’re a lucky dude man I’ve always wanted a nice raw piece of uncut opal for some reason it calls to my spirit when I look at it it reminds me of the sky at home. Have a great day
*I Dunno What This Is But I Fell Like Getting Smarter*
Opal is by far my favorite rock– I’m kind of obsessed with it. This is crazy news!
If you love opal, you should check out fire agate. Its different, but it can have an amazing play of color. It’s much less known and far more rare. Wish more people knew about it. I love opal, but I have to say that I like fire agate just as much. Great channel. Subscribed
Hi nick! Is there any way I can contact you? We met at a diamond mine once! I even brought you to a crystal mine.
is amazing 👍
Nice shirt!
You cannot encase real opal in glass or boro. The moisture in them makes it so unstable, hence why synthetic opals are used in glass
Ive been over 15years ago was great fun was wondering if Nadine is still there? She and her husband had shares in the mine.
With Reiki, I put "Fire"/Light Of Creation/"Love-Light"➡️(Orgone Energy/Ki/Qui/Prana) into The Opal, as well as into Other gemstones to "grow" them & "Heal" Them. Making them more lustrous & EVEN BIGGER In Size💎🌈💟 Incidentally, my married last name is "Moreland"😂🤣 to which the irony is not lost on me, being that I am Native American & All🤪 & my ex-husband is "White/Caucasian"😝😳😁😂😉💟 & my name is Avery, (a containment of 2 words, the letter/work "A", & the word "Very". "A" Meaning: Alpha, First, BEST, Top Shelf/Top Quality. & "Very" meaning: A Lot, More, Extreme, Intense. & the last name "Moreland" consisting of 2 words, "More" & "Land". "MORE", Meaning: Very, More, Extra, A Lot, MORE. & "Land", meaning: Earth. & in Dolores Cannon’s work, its stated that Earth is a Living Being (also in Native American Culture) & "Earth" is PURE "GOODNESS"🌏🌎🌍💎🌈👾👁😁😂🤪😉👉⚪😱👍❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤💟❕ #DivineLight #LoveLight #Averything🤩 #Steezy😎🤴👸 ("Avery also means "King/Queen/Ruler of The Elves", & Elves are the MOST BEAUTIFUL, MAGICAL CREATURES🧝♀️🧝♂️whom taught the Humans How To Create Magic Out Of Chaos.
Anyhow, Really Love Your Video’s I just stumbled across while in my "Opal Addiction"🤪 I’m doing this "Experiment" with Reiki & seeing if it translates/Carrie’s Through/Via Meditating On just observing any givin Image Alone❔😳 So far its Visually shows on my Tablets screen on rocks & pictures/ videos of ancient structures through out the world. Yet I have no Real World Verification on if my Reiki meditations on these ancient structures & Gemstones are ACTUALLY Translating the Reiki Energy Work Theough? (Richat Structure, The Great Pyramid, & the botched Jesus Painting from a few years back😝, just to name a few)… I would like to meditate on Your ABSOLUTLEY GORGEOUS Black Opal to see if I can have any "Love-Light"(Reiki) Affect on Addig Colors/"Fire"/Live-Light to your GORGEOUS Stone? …if you happen to read this & happen to notice any growing Fire🌈🔥in your Opals, Specifically The Huge Big Black One You Found In This Video, then please let me know. I’m Curious to know if my Reiki "Magic" Is having any Practical Real-World Application, Or Am I Just Wasting My Energy On These Reiki Meditations Unto The World Via Images? Cause I Know It Works In-Person. I’m just Experimenting On Pushing The Boundaries Of What I Can Do/Utilize With My Ever Growing Love-Light Vibe🤪 "…huh, yeah, crazy person"😝 Lol🤣😂
Congrats on buying a share of the mine. I remember that video and you looked so much in your element mining the gemstone. I’ll have to remember, if ever I travel to Nevada, to go visit an Opal mine. I’ve never been to a gemstone mine before.
Awesome craft to preserve fragile opals, Worthy.
There was actually a show on the weather Channel where they did mining for a living. That’s what got me interested in this.
This dude has 7.4M Followers on tiktok when all the good stuff is on Youtube 🤦♂️
My grandfather can wire wrap any opal you could find. (Within reasonable size parameters )
The young lady who is doing this glass work is an amazing artist that is for damn sure.
amzging it’s soooo coolll
can you make video about ammonium nitrate?
Opal is incorrect for the name. The real name is Opan
That black opal may be worth some money if it is in decent shape it is the most prized after one of them all
Hey man, do you guys let locals dig on your mine?
How does 1 share of an opal mine work? When they find that million dollar opal they’re gonna tell u about it and share the money?
Daddy
More opal content plz
Your energy is amazballs. Thanks for sharing
Theres a whole community of glass blowers who imbed opals into their work
People do this art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRT-M6NWcVE You guys are far from the first, but cool nonetheless!
You can’t put an opal under high temperatures! You should check out Black Opal Direct or Pulitzer Opal on YouTube.
cold i have a crystal plaes thank you
Can you PLEASE tell me how you did this. I would absolutely love to own a share of that mine. How did you get your share and how much?
The fact that he bought a mine is mind blowing haha