Adding an opal to your work will for sure add bling.  We personally LOVE opals and how they shimmer in the light.  We will attempt to give you a guide on how to encase an opal.

HOW TO ENCASE AN OPAL IN A TUBE

1. Get your opal ready by cleaning it.  The best way is with alcohol or glass cleaner
2. Get your tube ready, we used a 12mm heavy wall.
   1. Make sure you do not have a point on the inside, this could cause an air bubble
3. Drop your opal in the tube
4. Heat the front of the tube, move the heat back to the opal
5. Heat and heat until you have the glass almost around the opal
6. Suck the air out

HOW TO ENCASE AN OPAL IN A ROD

1. Get your opal ready by cleaning it.  The best way is with alcohol or glass cleaner
   1. Lay the opal in a marble mold
2. Get your rod ready by getting it juicy on the front, we used a 19mm rod, but you can use even an 8mm
3. Get your opal warm in the mold
   1. Do not get it too much in the flame, it can cause a haze later.
4. Use a punty and get it hot, then touch it to opal
5. Press the opal into your hot rod, but do not let the punty touch the rod, remove punty when it cools
6. Heat the end of the rod, careful not to get the flame on the opal too much.
7. Use graphite to press the opal into the glass more
8. Let the glass flow over the opal

HOW TO REMOVE AN AIR BUBBLE FROM ENCASING IT

1. Turn your oxygen up and then use the heat and pressure to move the glass away from the air bubble
2. Once you get the air bubble close to the surface us a hot rod of glass and whip away the glass until you remove the air bubble.
3. Let the opal move to the middle of the glass
4. If you have to you can use a piece of graphite to push the opal further into the clear

Good luck on encasing your opal!!