00:04 Lois opens wearing her own opals, including a shadow box necklace she found in a small family owned shop in Australia more than twenty years ago

01:53 Why Christine works almost exclusively in opal, and the ring from her husband that started it

02:40 One customer, one ring design, and a different opal for every woman in her family

03:59 White, blue, and red opals, and the fireworks analogy that explains the difference

04:22 Why 95 percent of opal comes from Australia, and where Mexican fire opal fits in

06:15 October has the most exciting birthstone available and most people do not know it

06:29 The softness myth, the hardness scale, and why nobody worries about pearls

09:00 The real reason opal intimidates jewelers, and it is not fragility

10:10 Setting an opal with a hammer, on camera, on purpose

11:28 Silver, gold, and the copper bracelet that surprised her

14:38 What makes one opal more valuable than another, and why difference beats perfection

16:39 The party stone: confetti, glitter, and why you should take your opal into the sunshine

17:39 Balancing art festivals with bench time, and what she learns eavesdropping in her own booth

20:20 Does she ever struggle to part with a piece

21:40 Jewelry as an evolution rather than a starting point

23:05 YouTube university, one real class, and learning by trial and error

25:16 The Garden Party earrings and why turning the circle beats the traditional hoop

27:33 Where to find her work, plus the fall art show schedule

30:01 Fifteen years in and still having fun