OPAL NOMENCLATURE
We had a presentation on the opal nomenclature at the lightning ridge opal show. While the majority were impressed with the work done and the opals on display , there were some negative comments made .
I would like to make the following points
-We already are using a opal nomenclature that was approved over 20 years ago-we are only making it more accurate and up to date.
-There will be a presentation of the work done during the Tucson gem show in 2018 so there is time to hear every ones view.
-There are different opinions and views in some areas but it will be the majority view that will be adopted.
-If we are successful, this will be the first gem stone to have a worldwide accepted classification. Many other gem stone associations are watching us to see how it can be done.
The opal shows for the season have finished and this is some feedback we received
COOBER PEDY SHOW
The show was well attended with 18 booths displaying a variety of opal stock. The show was well supported by locals and there were 5 buyers from India. They were mainly after rough and every one with the right material for them sold out. Some higher quality parcels also sold during and after the show.
For the first time in 10 years there were no buyers from China .[report courtesy from Yanni Athanasiadis]
WINTON SHOW
Considering the weather there was a reasonable turn out for the show with good commercial parcels selling quickly. The mining season has been a wet season and stock was limited.
YOWAH SHOW
After being rained out the last two years this year saw sunny weather. There was a good display of opal and some miners had some new quality stock which nearly all sold at the show. Some collector stones also sold at the show for good prices. There was a good turnout of buyers from Germany
LIGHTNING RIDGE SHOW
This year there was the international jewellery competition which always brings a larger crowd and enough accommodation for them is a problem. Most booth holders were pleased with the show but high end buyers seemed lacking. There was a few new Chinese buyers testing the market out. There were a few overseas participants who had jewellery in the show , I don’t think they bought much stock but at least they saw the Ridge and went on a few tours so they have an understanding of the mining side.
GOLD COAST SHOW
There was a good turnout of sellers and buyers at the Gold coast opal show. Good parcels of boulder rough sold very quickly. There was a mixed response from sellers of Lightning ridge opal with demand for lighter stones being soft. There was an interesting situation of technology coming to the shows as one Chinese couple spent a lot of time selling live by video phone to their customer base in China where they have 36,000 Instagram followers so they only bought what their customers liked and committed too. They did spend a few hours at most booths and most sellers were pleased with the result. This may happen more in the future and it may be a good idea to have security cameras or stock control as you cant keep an eye on your stock for so long.
NOTES
The opals shows were a success and hopefully stronger next year. I did hear some comments from some overseas buyers complaining that they are told many of the better parcels are sold before the show. To expect over seas buyers to come to the shows they must feel they can get some stock other wise the buyers will visit the fields well before the show date trying to get the best deals or don’t come at all. It was interesting that one miner in Yowah who had some new stock wouldn’t show his stock until the morning of the show to give every one a fair chance. This also happened with one seller at the gold coast show who wouldn’t sell until 9am to be fair on every one-may be we should consider this policy when we are doing shows as it may create a buying frenzy for sellers!!
Yours sincerely
Paul Sedawie
President of the Opal Association