Opal Advanced Cutting And Setting
Opal Advanced Cutting And Setting by Paul B. Downing Soft cover, 6" x 9", 144 pages, copyright 1999

Opal Advanced Cutting And Setting continues on where Opal Cutting Made Easy leaves off. Using the author's proven step-by-step techniques, you will learn how to sneak up on an opal to get the best from it, how to deal with imperfections, how to properly dome an opal cabochon, how to make doublets from problem stones, how to carve boulder opal seams, how to design and assemble intarsia, how it make inlay opal jewelry, how to use opal chips in innovative ways, how to treat cracked opals and stabilize matrix, how to protect your opal in a setting, how to design jewelry using the author's unique "dribble" technique, how to finish a design project step-by-step, how to set an opal safely, how to find new jewelry ideas and more.
This book is divided into nine major subjects pertaining to cutting including: Cutting Challenging Opals, Imperfections, To Dome or Not to Dome, Doublets, Carving Boulder and Other Opal, Intarsia, Inlay, Using Chips, and Treating Cracks and Stabilizing Matrix. Also presented in this book are techniques for setting opals and making opal jewelry using the lost wax casting technique and the author's unique "dribble" technique for making waxes. Six major subjects are presented on setting opals and making jewelry for opals including: Basic Setting Technique, Dribble Design Technique, Design Procedure, Design Tricks, Setting the Opal and Sources for Design Ideas.
Opal Advanced Cutting And Setting is a book rich in how-to for opal cutters authored by an authority in the field and a must have reference in the book collection of any opal cutter.