Opal polishing workshops in the beautiful Blue Mountains

Opal polishing workshops in the beautiful Blue Mountains

This gives people the unique experience of polishing genuine Australian opal. There is nowhere else where you can polish opals and it is very likely that the opal you leave with will be worth more than the money you spent on this workshop. In fact, potentially you could polish an opal that is worth hundreds of dollars as it is impossible to see what an opal will look like before it's been polished, so it is truly the luck of the draw. But we give you the information to help you make an informed choice of the parcel of opals you choose. Opal is becoming increasingly valuable with all opal rough being snapped up and it's not going to get better in future as some opal fields are being closed down. This truly is the opportunity of a lifetime.

Itinerary

The workshop starts with a short talk about opals - where they're found, how they're created, how to see if a stone holds any precious opal - which will help when it comes time for you to choose your own parcel of opals. We have examples to look at and handle so that you are knowledgeable about which parcel of opals are valuable and have potential. Then you get to choose a parcel of three opals per person, ranging in size from 6 - 12ct. We then learn how to polish them to a high shine and release the gorgeous fire within the stones, which takes approximately two hours for all three stones. Once the stones are finished, the opals are placed in a small display case for you to take home or, alternatively, they can be set in a piece of jewellery either on site or by your own jeweller back home.