Forum members charity cutting contest...

We have given out pretty much all the opal rough for the charity cutting contest and many members are cutting Welo opals for the first time. A few are completed and will be offered on OA here in the $1NR section very soon. All proceeds after fees will go to a pet shelter in Saratoga County, NY. Auctions will be clearly labeled and all opal lovers and pet lovers are encouraged to bid early and bid high.
This is the second in a series of spontaneous acts of kindness from forum members. If you are not already visiting and posting, I encourage you to do it! The Forum is full of interesting and helpful information about all aspects of the opal business and how it impacts us all. Lots of cutting tips and guides to various types of opal.
I am the donor in the current contest and I was inspired by the lead of Dienn, one of our forum members who thought up and administered the first round. Several other dealers have suggested that they may be willing to sponsor future rounds. Each sponsor chooses the charity to receive the proceeds and chooses the opal rough to be donated. Forum members see the entire collection and choose their piece, so early birds get the brightest worms. Members have been posting photos of the stones in stages of cutting and polishing along with pics of their equipment and fingertips. A lively discussion has resulted and much has been learned about cutting, polishing and various aspects of our friends' lives.
Everyone is invited to follow the discussion in the Forum. A couple of pieces of Welo may even be still up for grabs, depending on when you read this. Contest will close to new requests in two weeks, at the end of July 2010, and the resulting opals will be sold from mid July to the middle of August.
Thanks to all who are helping and happy cutting to all...
mike

Last Update: 13 Jul 2010