So, what are you guys into aside from watches?

Dennis may as well have a face like a dartboard considering the amount of photoshopped images of him that get posted 😁

Some day I'll have to do a retrospective. 😁

I see some familiar hobbies here like cars and high end audio. Back when I had more money those were my hobbies as well....watchmaking isn't exactly a get rich quick scheme as a profession, but I certainly enjoy it more than being in a corporate setting. 😀

My car thing started with a 1987 Jaguar VandenPlas with the 5.3 litre V12, inboard brakes, etc. So not for the faint of heart or light in the bank account when it comes to repairs. Have since moved on to BMW's and between my wife and I we have owned 8. Currently she has an 2012 X1 (she wanted AWD) and I have a 2009 128i.





When I was working in my engineering job I had a 2007 M Roadster in sapphire black, and that is by far my favourite car of all time...here's a couple of shots of it:



Not exactly a good winter car LOL!:



When I was laid off and decided to become a full time watchmaker, that car had to go as I spent a pile on upgrading my shop at that time.

My wife is from Australia and I have been there many times. One thing that I have developed an interest in is opals. We have been to Coober Pedy once (where they mine mostly white and crystal opals) and have been to Lightning Ridge twice where black opals are mined. I have bought many and flooded my local market here with stones that most Canadians have no idea exist. Most see opals as milky white stones with little specs or flakes of colour in them, but Black opals are where it's at for me.

Some sample photos (note that opals are very hard to photograph well):

Here is what msot people think opals loook like - I only bought this one because it was a nice big stone at 5.3 carats:



Here are some black opals:









This pattern is known as "Chinese writing" and after having looked at 30,000+ stones, this is by far the best example I have ever seen - it is currently one I wear as an ear stud:





Unfortunately this one was a bit out of my budget at $120,000 and 83 carats!



Too big for an ear stud anyway. 😜



Cheers, Al

I got an eyeful of black opal on my recent trip to Oz - I can easily see how one could take that up as a hobby - fascinating.

It's a stone unlike any other. Everyone is familiar with the 4 C's of valuing diamonds, but opals are much more complex. The patterns of colour, their brightness, the darkness of the background, if they "move" when the stone is turned, how well they can be seen from all angles, and even what colours are there all have a huge impact on price.

It's actually complicated enough that they can be a hard sell to consumers because they are difficult to value. So after my last buying trip I had several stones left over, and the difficulty in selling them locally pretty much put an end to my plans to start a business importing them. I have a few nice stones left, and this weekend I am heading to a local jeweller here who has bought them from me before, and I will try to get the last few sold to him for a break even price if I can. Oh well! If anyone's interested, let me know! LOL!

Cheers, Al

They've gotten better, I went all last year without any unexpected repairs...

Too funny - only a Jag owner would be proud of going a year without an unexpected service expense. 😉

Not having a dig at you, because I've obviously been there, but it's nice to have very reliable cars now. Out of the 8 BMW's we have owned only one has given us any real trouble (1998 540i had some electrical issues). Most of them have gone years with just regular maintenance.

And yes they certainly have gotten better - the Lucas electronics in particular were just terrible. Mechanically though it was pretty easy to find some parts. I had to repalce the A/C compressor, and it took the same unit that went into a 350 Chev engine, so a rebult one was something like $180 back in the day, compared to $600+ for a rebuilt one from Jaguar. I also had all the hoses replaced for the A/C as they were rotting out, and they all had very special fittings on them. I took them to a hose shop (Hose Headuqarters was the name) and they were able to remove the fittings off my hoses, and solder them to standard fitting, so $500 worth of hoses was $120 at that shop. The only way I was able to keep that car for 7+ years was because my mechanic (Jagauar Master Technician) was a friend and he would do work on the side.

I still miss that car - Grace, Space, Pace...

I have often thought of going back, but evey time I mention it, my wife gives me the evil eye, so not going there again.

Cheers, Al

Nice to meet another opal fanatic! For me there's nothing like it. I can't understand people's fascination with diamonds - they are mostly cold and stark, with a bit of sparkle. I would take a good uality opal any day over a diamond - although I do think my wife would like some of the pink diamonds you guys mine down there as well. I bought her a set of ear rings with with pink sapphires, and a pink sapphire pendant and she loves them.

Nice stones. I've never been to Andamooka - just Coober Pedy and Lightning Ridge. After being at LR, that was the only place I was really going to take the time and trouble to get to again.

Opal is found in several places in the world (for example we see a fair bit of Mexican fire opal here) but the best IMO comes from Australia.

I'm partial to black opal, but I also like good crystal opal (have an ear ring with a nice rolling orange flash), which has been a big thing in Andamooka in the past - not sure how much there is left now. The thing with LR is that you can find crystal, white, and black there in the mines, and it's the only place to find black. So it has a lot to offer if you are going on a buying trip. They of coruse sell all kinds there in the shops, and my wife is partial to boulder opal, so she has a nice pendant that I bought her there and had mounted back here. I also bought this boudler opal for my brother in law to give to my sister for their 30th anniversary:



Here is some Lightning Ridge crystal opal:





I also have done some noodling and mining. I haven't found much personally (limited for time as we only stay for 2 days max usually), but my wife found this nice piece with some black opal in it with bright greens:



I'm sure there would be something of value there if we ever decide to try cutting/polishing it.

Cheers, Al