Building Our Online Presence
Our Instagram page in January 2021! Make sure you follow us at @opalgallery.gc to stay updated!
The Pandemic
The pandemic changed our business… Here is a story about our journey to a (hopeful) recovery. Our storefront was located at 45 Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise Queensland; a location very popular for international tourists. We’ve been there for many years now so I considered that my second home. This meant that we’d been targeting our
September 11
Over the decades, I witnessed many changes. Some were for the best and others were not. The September 11 terrorist attacks were one that was not. The 9/11 attacks were an event that shook the world. Our hearts broke for those who were direct impacted by the four coordinated terrorist attacks and we were devastated.
The 1980s
Let’s take a trip down memory lane…to the 1980s! The 1980s saw rapid changes and growth for the Australian tourism industry. Our business was suddenly booming. Australia, and the Gold Coast in particular, quickly became a tourist destination in the 1980s. It was particularly popular destination for Japanese tourists who started to see Australia as
World Expo 88
Tourists, tourists everywhere! In 1988, Australia had the bicentenary celebrations to mark 200 years since the First Fleet arrived in Australia. The World Expo of 1988 (also known as World Expo 88 or Expo 88) was held in Queensland’s capital city, Brisbane. That year, the theme was ‘Leisure in the Age of Technology’. It was
Buying the Business
Why did I consider buying the business? My biggest achievement by far was buying the business off of the owners in 1999. I was originally planning on quitting the business when I was 35 and had made this pretty clear at the beginning of my time at Bentine Gems. Crazy and makes very little sense,
Achievements
Here are some of our proudest achievements over the years! Over the years, we got to experience many achievements. We won the Australian Government’s Export Award three years in a row. This was a particularly proud moment for us because we knew there were many other candidates who could have won this award. And to
【Opal Specialist vol.2】
About me ,Way to the Opal guy From early on, I had my heart set on Bentine Gems. I don’t know why but it just felt like it was ‘meant to be’. Initially I had applied for a position at Bentine Gems in Sydney but was denied. Not long after, I found out that they
【Opal Specialist vol.1】
About me In the year 1985 Bentine Gems opened in the Gold Coast. Bentine Gems became an independent store, now known as Opal Gallery, in the year 1999. At the beginning of 1986 I was 21 when I came to Sydney, Australia. The reason I came to Australia was simple: for a working holiday. But
NEW WEBSITE LAUNCH
Hidemasa Kojima (Director) in 1986 We have finally launched our revamped Opal Gallery’s website! Since 1985, we have been providing quality Australian Opals to customers all over the world and will continue to provide you the same service that we provided at our store at 45 Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise, Australia through our ever evolving online