I'll be very busy at work for the next month or so, but as soon as I get a bit of free time, I'm going to try the opal making, I'll email you when I'm ready to begin, very exciting.
I love a new project :)
It will be interesting to see the results of your sapphire adventure. Please post the photos, its very interesting to see the results of these experiments.
Could the meteorite contain obsidian? That would explain the glassy interior? Just a thought :)