With only six weeks to go it is important that anyone who has rough or rub opals, other gemstones or arts and crafts, book their spot before they miss out. Both the downstairs and upstairs are booked out and there is just limited space outside now. This is promising to be the biggest and best ever with visitors coming from all over Australia and the world so this is a great opportunity.
Likewise any club or society wanting to make some extra money this is definitely the place to be. Ring Angela 0407 455 413.
The award dinner has only limited seats now too so don’t be disappointed by missing out on this premiere event.
Ring Lyn 0428 292 118.
It seemed as if we had plenty of time but it has crept up on us. All entries must be in by July 15. We advise that it would be wise to submit entry forms earlier.
It is with great pleasure we announce that Sandy Thorne, who is one of Australia’s best selling authors of outback humour, will be our mistress of ceremonies at the dinner. Many of Sandy’s hilarious stories are about the characters of Lightning Ridge back in the 70s when the only time the local police ever locked anyone up was when the police station lawn needed mowing.
Since launching her first book I’ve met some Bloody Wags in 1980 by biting the top off a stubbie on the Midday Show, Sandy has performed her bush yarns and humorous poems on stage at corporate and public events, both on radio, stage and television all over Australia, New Zealand and America.
David Letterman, Larry King and Michael Parkinson are just three celebrities who have had her on their shows.
After a 30-year absence from the Ridge, Sandy returned in 2002 and has taken a voluntary and honorary role promoting the Ridge and our Black Opal to her audiences and in her media interviews. She believes passionately in the quality and beauty of our superb product and the beautiful jewellery available today. She believes the opal and the tourist industry complement one another and we at IOJDAA feel very lucky that we have this lady making herself available to us.
DID YOU KNOW... BLONDE IS BEAUTIFUL.
Three hundred years ago and more the only reliable source of opal came from Hungary. It was of the milky variety with flashes of red, blue and green and at the time there were vast quantities of it. Because jewellers of the day were unsure how to handle it, it still became a rare gemstone for those who could make something of it without it cracking or breaking up in some way.
According to legend, wearing an opal in a lady’s hair was to stop premature greying and keep blonde locks from regressing. A grand duchess who had a magnificent head of hair which almost swept the ground believed implicitely that that was the reason her blonde hair had withstood the ravages of time and always wore a tiara of the finest opals. One day it was stolen and her hair went grey overnight.
In Sweden where blonde hair was the norm wearing a pin of opal in the hair was almost mandatory and a young girl was gifted with one on her tenth birthday as it was believed that her chances of obtaining a husband were considerably slimmer if her hair was not fair and that no upstanding Nordic gentleman would look at her twice. Pity the poor girls who were unlucky enough to be born with dark hair.
Even when these people migrated to America they took their culture with them and the opal pin was passed from mother to daughter. With so many people from all corners of the globe going to the “New World” it got harder and harder to find someone who was equally as fair to wed and so the custom died out.
Today you do not need an opal in your hair, a trip to the chemist or supermarket to purchase the colour you desire is all it takes. It’s probably cheaper than an opal anyway. Another anecdote in the fascinating legends of opals.
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