Opal certification draft test and Opal Association 2022/23 Membership renewal

By July 4, 2022Member News

We hope you are all keeping well.

Its that time of year again when Memberships are due on the 30th June 2022.We have now connected the Paypal account to the site, automating payments. Please be sure to use this option as it will ensure your Membership will update automatically.

Please go to https://www.opal.asn.au/ to make payment Thank you

Opal Certification Test

We are in the final stages of making available the Opal Certification Test. We have drafted the questions and are working on how best to implement it online and or in person. Your input to questions herein will help us to better streamline the format and execution of the test. Your answers will also help us shortlist the questions for the test so that it results in appropriate and relevance of the current issues and standards affecting the opal industry today, not only on the “field” with us but also in the greater scope of the gem industry and its standards. Hopefully this process of taking the test and being able to issue Certificates of Authenticity will help us achieve our mission here at the Opal Association to accurately inform our potential clients so that they come to and want to purchase an opal above all other stones.

We appreciate the time and effort you will be putting in to answer the following questions.

  1. Do you think the test should include basic knowledge of gemmological properties of opal (e.g. RI, Specific Gravity, Spectrum etc) and the implications thereof?
  2. Would you consider the format of the exam to contain a short answer in addition to multiple choice and true/false?
  3. Should we propose a study guide online before we all take the test?
  4. How many times should members be able to retake the test and within what time frame (every quarter/ half yearly/annually)?
  5. Should qualification of passing the test be 100% or should we consider 80% as the pass rate?
  6. Should the exam paper test the knowledge of the current nomenclature of opals?
  7. What changes would you like to see on the actual Certificate e.g. probable location versus location, treatment, brightness?
  8. Do you want the test to be easy to pass or shall we push the limit as far as learning and knowing more information about opal in general?
  9. What details do you think should be included in the Certificate of Authenticity?

Please email your answers to [email protected] by 10th of July. After careful consideration of your answers, we will finalize the question list and start our beta testing for the test online.

We appreciate all your opinions, advice and knowledge in making this Association better and better.

Sincerely with thanks