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Frequently Asked Questions
- What type of glass is gilson created opal compatable with?
Gilson created opal is only compatable with borosilicate glass. It is not compatable with moretti or other types of soft glass.
- There are so many different types of opals to choose from, what is the best?
The only kind of opal you can use with glass is Gilson created Opal. The reason is; it's the only "synthetic" or "created" opal that is made out of silica and for some odd reason it has basically the same COE as borosilicate...all other types of opal, real and imitation, will not work.
- I have heard about people getting ripped off with fake gilson created opal. Whats up with that?
I recieve email and calls all the time about people purchasing what they were told was gilson opal and it turns out to be fake gilson created opal. A general rule is if its super cheap its probably imitation opal.
There are many types of imitation opal on the market and often they are sold incorrectly ( or fraudulently) as gilson opal. It can be very difficult to tell the difference between the two until you get it home and try to encase it with glass. You will know you have purchase imitation opal if the opal burns up in the glass and creates a huge plume of toxic smoke. Also, the imitation material is very light and feels like plastic
Please don't be fooled, buy your gilson opal from us or another factory authorized gilson created opal dealer.
- What is the best color to use?
As far as color goes, its personal preferance. Many people perfer black, green or blue over white or crystal (clear) whne glass blowing. All colors work the same in the glass. The darker colors reflect wonderfully and stand out alot. White or crystal blend into the glass and look wonderful in jewelry and sculpture.
- Can I use natural opal in glass?
No, the opal must be gilson opal, natural or imitation opal will not work.
- Can I buy a large piece of gilson created opal and break it up for small applications and it wont affect the stone?
You can break up your gilson created opal easly with tile nippers and it won't hurt the stone what so ever.
- What are cabochons, doublets and triplets and can they be used it glass?
Cabochons are stone cut with only one type of material. In our case cabachons are pure gilson created opal and are perfect for glass.
Doublets are opal with 1 layer of something stuck to the opal, therefore it won't work.
Tripletes are opal sandwhiched between 2 somethings, and therefore it won't work.
- I have noticed there are different grades of Gilson created opal. Does it matter what grade I get?
Yes and yes. The lower the grade, the lower the quality, the lower the price. Its like hotdogs. there are the awsome $4 a pack hotdogs and there are the 77 cents hotdogs..... The Lowest grades of opal have many problems and typically look awful in glass. We do not sell these types of low grade gilson opal.
- What grades do you sell Grandpa?
We sell both glassblowing grade and jewelry grade. The glass blowing grade is lower then jewelry grade, but only for reasons that are relevent to jewelers and stone cutters.
Ya see, I am able to dig through kilos ( yes kilos ) of gilson opal to pick the peices I want to sell . Which , in my opinion, allows me to cherry pick the killer pieces from each grade and leave the rest for someone else. Its amazing how much garbage I have to pick though to get the good pieces.
- Does a carat wiegh under a gram? Whats the conversion?
5 carats to 1 gram
- Does opal move at all once in the glass? Can it be shaped in the flame? If i get a big piece of gilson created opal, can i blow it?
I get this question alot. No you can't "blow opal" like you blow glass. To be honest I have never tried but from everything I know about the material I am 99% sure its impossible...
I do think you can use it like a frit and blow the glass that its stuck to....
- If it is used like frit will it flow and smooth out on the glass or would it just sink in in sharp edged looking chunks?
If you try to melt the opal into the glass it will retain its shape and color, it won't melt like glass does at all.... and if you use it like frit I would strongly suggest not letting the flame touch the opal too much...
If you have any questions ( any at all ) contact us at
grandpa@profoundglass.com
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