Dear Opalstop Members,

Welcome to the monthly news letter for September.

This Month:

* 10% Discount on everything on the our website.

* Trade fair news

During the entire month of August our main focus was directed toward the Opal trade fairs and festivals that take place during this time of the year.

Although our mining activities continued they had to be scaled back considerably as the fairs entail much preparation and are very time consuming. For example the Opal Expo at the Gold Coast was over three days but the journey is one day each way and if you take into account prep time it is a 1 week project for most. Saying that, we did have some nice finds of, although small, some potentially very good opal. Until we start cutting the material we won't know exactly how good it is but from the rough we are very confident. But then we may have an offer from a rough buyer that is too good to refuse.There are many buyers seeking rough material which is scarce. We have a policy of keeping some rough opal to cut and polish ourselves and the remainder we sell direct to rough buyers who are either cutters themselves or sell on to cutters and polishers all over the world.

The month of August is very busy for us but also great fun as we get to travel and stay at some great locations, socialise and meet with miners and all type of people involved in the Opal industry. The first fair was the Lightning Ridge Opal festival which runs for 4 days and of course is held in Lightning Ridge. Not far to travel there, but nevertheless a great opportunity to speak with buyers from all over the world as well as miners from across Australia. The most outstanding thing that is being recognised in the industry over the last few years is the greater presence and recognition of the quality of Boulder Opal. Every year at all the fairs there seems to be more and more exhibitors of this marvellous Opal. Some Boulder Opal is magnificent and is certainly on a par with good Lightning Ridge black opal, and I feel in the future the price will reflect that as at present good quality Boulder opal is very undervalued.

After Lightning Ridge it was off to the famous Gold Coast which is sometimes called Australia's playground. Miles of white sandy beaches, excellent surf, night life, great food and all types of entertainment for all ages. Not everyone's cup of tea but the beauty of Australia is that it's only a short drive to a deserted beach and all the peace and quiet you want. Enough of the tourist blurb, back to the trade fair. This was a great opportunity for us to introduce our new catalogue of Gold and Silver inlay Jewellery to the market. The response was excellent and our range attracted massive interest. At present this range is only available to our wholesale customers but that may change in the future and people may be able to buy direct from the website. In the meantime I am offering all Opalstop members a chance to view our catalogue in PDF format and to purchase from this catalogue at wholesale prices. This is not some marketing scam or trick to get people to buy from a catalogue but a genuine offer for Opalstop members only. Simply email me at info@opalstop.com for details.

After the Gold Coast a few days break and it was off to the Harvey Bay gem show. Harvey Bay is a town on the East coast of Australia and is the launching point to the largest sand island in the world, Fraser Island. Harvey Bay is also the whale watching capital of Australia as during certain times of the year whales enter the bay and rest for a while on their long journey north. A great place, and usually on most overseas visitors itinerary when they come to Australia. I've got a tough job, but someone has to do it! This fair is a lot smaller than others but I love attending this show as it is run by the local gem club and it's very laid back and friendly atmosphere. It's a good time to catch up with old friends and be around all the other magnificent gems found in Australia. Not least is the Australian Sapphire. Unknown to most people Australia supplies up to 70% of the worlds sapphires and the quality is excellent. A lot of people have a misconception about Australian sapphire so a lot of this gem is being sold as Burmese, Thai or Ceylon around the world to unsuspecting customers. So ladies if you are staring down at a beautiful blue Sapphire that you thought was from Burma, think again. More than likely it was mined in my part of the woods.

* 10% Discount on everything on the site:

To prepare for the month of October, for which Opal is the birthstone we are offering 10% off all items listed on the website. So if you were looking for that special Opal present for someone that was born in October now is the time to purchase.

How to obtain your discount:

When you have selected your item and added it to the shopping cart, you will see the "checkout" button as usual. Before the "checkout" button you will notice an area called "additional options". In this area you simply type in the discount code given below and it will be automatically deducted at checkout. Don't forget that you will need to log in with email address and password before checkout. So tell your friends to join up and they will also be eligible for all the great benefits we will be offering.

Opalstop members 10% discount code: sep1006

Once again thanks for reading and a special hello to all new members and those who made a purchase during August. We hope you love your Opals.

Regards

Darryl and the team at Opalstop.

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