Year End Round-up 2010

Hello and welcome to the year end update....
The main pending item is the charity auction. We raised and donated just over $250 USD for my chosen charity, the local Saratoga County Animal Shelter here in New York State in the USA.
Many thanks to all who took part....meow
Many more rough Welo dealers have arrived in this last year and the market is sorting us all out. There are so many dealers offering Welo rough that the market will no longer support the price structure which allows profit and/or reinvestment. Meanwhile, the rough suppliers are raising their prices and being more demanding about terms and minimum quantities. Sadly, most have not reciprocated with tighter quality control and overall dependability.
I will be listing individual hand-selected pieces of top quality Welo rough at good prices in my store all this year. I have a lot of unusual and rare items which will be appearing in the NR sections as I dig them out of my old stocks. Coober Pedy rough from the 1970's and some Brazilian pieces from the olden days as well.
Thanks to all my friends and customers for a great year here on OA. I look forward to another year of new opals and new discoveries, below ground and above. New polishing techniques and materials await and new opals fields will be found. Already I am seeing opal rough from Sudan on the market. Is this source real? Or is it Ethiopian opal smuggled out of the country to avoid export controls? Time will no doubt tell. Indonesia has teased us for years with its potential. Brazil is bubbling away and a good old friend seems to be on opal there now, in an area he has worked for many years.
So 2011 holds great potential for fun and drama in the opal world....stay tuned

Last Update: 30 Dec 2010