Apologies to all members, the draft documents sent last week and the Zoom meeting scheduled for Thursday are for the opal classification committee only.
We are still waiting on the GAA notes and once both the GAA and the OA Classification Committees are happy with the submission, we will make it available to members.
Kind Regards
Paul Sedawie
President of the Opal Association
Opal Classification – the FINAL STRETCH
Dear Members,
After hibernating for most of 2020, it’s time to sort out the high level opal classification for CIBJO once and for all. There are some international trends that could impact Australian Opal and so we need to be proactive before anything is forced on us.
As I send this, the GAA Opal Committee are meeting to discuss these final documents attached. These will form our submission.
The GAA has committed to come back with their response by next Wednesday 17th March.
I would like to call a Zoom meeting for 5.30pm (Sydney/Melbourne time) next Thursday 18th March to discuss and resolve this.
Please take the time to read the documents over (it will take no more than 10 mins). IF you have ANY questions or concerns, this will be the time to bring it up as I’m hoping we can draw a metaphorical line in the sand and MOVE ON!
Following is the excerpt of the email I just sent Katherine Kovacs and Terry Coldham.
“1. Categories of Opal
This is the main document outlining the 8 categories of opal. As discussed, it was decided at the GILC meeting in Tucson in Feb 2020 to remove the numbers of the categories, thereby ensuring that no one category was elevated above another based on numerics.
There are two outstanding points on this document outlined in red. I would appreciate your response to these so I can take it to our Opal Association meeting.
2. Opal Terms
This document outlines the definitions used for each of the terms. You will note that unlike prior versions, we have very much stuck to high level terms and have not entered into detailed discussions about types of opal ie. black or light or crystal.
3. Flowchart to determine opal category
This flowchart is yet to be updated and will be done so once we reach a final consensus. It is my belief that this flowchart should form part of our submission as it clearly outlines our methodology and thinking around the classification. Getting people to think as a series of questions is, when it is presented clearly, a superior communication device understood across language differences.
As per our telephone discussion, please communicate to the committee our commitment to provide CIBJO something that they can work with in the near future. We have kept the document intentionally high level.
The Opal Association will convene a meeting late next week to ensure we review and resolve and will come back to the GAA Opal Committee to finally present a joint offering to CIBJO.”
Thanks everyone!
Cheers,
Ruth
Any members who may be in a similar situation as Damien Cody please contact the number below
One of our members, Damien Cody, is currently fighting his insurance company, Lloyd’s of London, over their refusal to pay his Business Interruption insurance claim.
Damien runs retail opal stores in Melbourne and Sydney which have been shut down because of Covid-19.
They have Business Interruption insurance which covers them for loss of gross income due to certain events, including human infectious diseases. Unlike other insurance policies, this does not exclude pandemics.
Despite this, Lloyds have followed the lead of other insurers and denied the claim.
The Lloyds policy was marketed to the jewellery industry and others in the industry have apparently either had their claims rejected or not yet claimed.
Damien’s lawyers are looking to bring a class action (with Gordon Legal) against Lloyds to force them to honour the policy and they are interested in talking to any other jewellers and opal retailers.
They are also looking at cases against other insurers for Business Interruption claims.
If you are happy to speak to them, please contact John Berrill on 0408 322 979 or [email protected].
The advice is free and confidential.
Kind Regards
Paul Sedawie
President of the Opal Association
Disclaimer Note We forward all emails received for the Opal association to all members as a matter of course. This does not mean we support or endorse the product /message and suggest members do their own due diligence and checking.
OPAL ASSOCIATION MEETING 15 JANUARY 2021
AT 25 SURFERS AV MERMAID WATERS QLD
THE MEETING OPENED AT 1 PM QLD TIME.
PRESENT
Chris Gawthorpe, Wayne Sedawie ,Ross Sedawie ,Sam Patel ,Paul Sedawie
ON ZOOM
George Christianous, Ruth Benjamin-Thomas ,Robert Short, Sally Patel, Natassa Patel
APOLOGIES Ken Willis, Andrew Kemeny ,Viki Bokros, John mc donald
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS
Paul Sedawie read the accounts with a balance of $33,142
WALKABOUT OPALS
We had a complaint that Brendon Ball of Walkabout Opals qld was issuing opal certificates of authenticity with a retail price on his own letter head but adding the opal association logo to it. This was the second time this had happened as he added a retail price on opal association certificates. Note this business is not connected to Walkabout opals and jewelery.
Paul Sedawie moved to ban him from the opal association.
Seconded by Chris Gawthorpe,
He has been notified to discontinue using the opal association logo as he is no longer a member.
OPAL BRIGHTNESS
A discussion was held in regards to the use of words instead of numbers when describing the brightness of a stone which was felt to be too confusing.
SUBDUED
MODERATE
BRIGHT
VERY BRIGHT
VIVID
We are recommending to our members to use these descriptive words.
Paul Sedawie moved a motion to adopt the above brightness terms
Seconded Wayne Sedawie
OPAL CERTIFICATES
Natassa Patel has agreed to prepare a testing and qualification exam before members can issue opal association certificates of authenticity.
The meeting closed at 2 pm
COOBER PEDY MINING SYMPOSIUM
The opal mining symposium will be held in Coober Pedy on the 30 March to 1 April with a trade show on the 3 and 4 th April. The opal association is sponsoring an event on the first night of meet and greet.
ZOOM MEETING
The zoom meeting is turning out to be a efficient way to attend meetings. George Christianous came to us live on zoom from his mine and at our last meeting some members were driving and attended the meeting by zoom. I did forget to add that you have to down load the app for a zoom meeting!
We would like to see more members have input at our next meeting using zoom.
Kind Regards
Paul Sedawie
President of the Opal Association