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The Opal Muster 2002 proved to be a great success this year. It is estimated that approximately 1200 people attended the four-day event. International, national and local visitors, flocked to see the showpiece of the Opal Jewellery Design Awards Association’s (OJDAA) 2002 Opal Trade Show - one of the largest known black opals in the world.
The piece was unveiled at the opening of the OJDAA Opal Trade Show and was admired by industry experts, opal buyers, miners, locals and tourists alike.
Christine Roussel cut and polished the specimen using a flexible shaft tool to expose the multi-layered tiers of brilliant colour bars. The piece boasts at least six bars in all colours of the spectrum and abundant flashes of blood red on black radiate throughout. The base is blazoned with greens and golds on black potch. The next tier has a blend of light red, purple, mixtures of orange, gold and greens. The tiers of colour lead up to its natural fossilised crockery cap, which is preserved to showcase the stone in its natural state.
Its cutting edge design capitalises on the free form technique used to showcase the specimen with an undulating surface and unique natural formation. This technique is being widely promoted by OJDAA to conserve the size and style of black opal and consequently increase its value. The aim also is to encourage jewellers and designers to enhance the value of the gem by working with its natural contours. The free form practice compliments the traditional style of oval, rounds and free shapes and exposes the exclusive composition of the gem as nature created it.
Sue White, President of OJDAA said “the piece is the best example so far of the benefit of using the free form method to expose the uniqueness and beauty of black opal. If the more traditional cutting technique had been used, the piece would of lost value and yield. It is certainly a collectors’ item and a significant selling tool for promoting the benefits of the free form style.
This year’s Opal Muster was a great success. Considering the International and National Designer Jewellery Awards and the magnificent Solid Rainbow Collection was not showcased this year, we managed to attract a large number of people. The quality of the stock exhibited by our stall-holders was again remarkable and the surprise piece was a real draw card.
We received a lot of positive feedback and support for the event from the opal industry, and it is very encouraging as we are now putting plans together for next year’s international jewellery awards”, said Ms White.
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