July on the bench
A look at what's come through the shop this month — rough in, rough evaluated, some of it cut.
July brought in more Ethiopian crystal than usual, plus a piece of black seam that's been sitting under the loupe. The bench work this month has been mostly evaluation — looking at what came in, deciding what gets cut now versus what sits until the right idea for it arrives.
The crystal pieces are in good shape. The body tones vary: some are near-crystal clear, some have a slight milky cast, one has a warm honey tone that changes how the color reads. They don't all get cut the same way even if the fire looks similar, because the body affects the final cab more than people expect.
The black seam
The black seam piece is the most interesting thing in the pile. Ethiopian black opal isn't common — not like the Welo crystal material — and the color on this one is strong enough to warrant patience. Red dominant, broad sweep across the face. The orientation decision takes time on a piece like that. Cut it wrong and you lose the red.
Most of the bench time this month has been with a loupe rather than a wheel. That's normal at the evaluation stage. The cutting comes after the watching.