Read the material.
Boulder and crystal opal each have their own character. The cut begins with what is already there.
The person behind the cut
Cut freestyle.
One stone at a time.
Freestyle Opal is Conan Ash: an opal cutter based in Cairns, Far North Queensland.
Working with Australian boulder and crystal opal, Conan lets the material guide the shape. The colour, the edges, the ironstone — each stone offers a different starting point.
02 / Material study
Colour changes with the light.
A quiet generated study of mineral surface and opal colour. It is atmosphere rather than a product record; the real stones in the collection remain the source of truth.
Continue through the process ↓
01 / The approach
The shape follows
what the stone reveals.
Freestyle cutting starts with attention to the material. A line of colour may suggest an edge. The surrounding stone may become part of the finished shape.
That is what “one of one” means here: an individual piece, with its own proportions and its own movement of colour.
The stone leads.
The cut follows.
From rough to finished
A small practice.
A personal process.
Work with the colour.
The stone is shaped by hand in Cairns. Each cut follows its individual colour and form.
See the finished piece.
Photographs show a moment. Video shows the changing colour. Look at both, and ask Conan if you would like to know more.
The work speaks for itself
From the collection.
Conan to collector
Have a stone
in mind?
Ask about a cut, request a closer look, or talk through a stone's details. If you are in Cairns, contact Conan to discuss viewing it in person.