The webinar was hosted through the WeChat social media app and was virtually ‘attended’ by coloured gemstone retailers and wholesalers in China who had undertaken studies with Guild.
Damien Cody, director Cody Opal, told Jeweller, “The webinar was a wonderful opportunity to promote the virtues of Australian opal to a largely new audience. The viewers were mostly graduate students of gemmology and the information they received will help them have more confidence when working with Australian opal.”
For Cody Opal, the webinar represented an opportunity to inform and promote Australian opals rather than sell products directly. “This webinar forms part of a body of work we have been doing in China, which includes lectures, exhibitions, fashions shows and trade fairs,” Cody explained.
Ruby Liu, president Guild, said, “The viewers were very interested in grading, treatments, and market conditions. The audience continued to ask hundreds of questions for almost two hours, with some 1,500 people remaining in the chat room.”
“Due to the convenience of the internet, the audience can join the live broadcast from all over China. Guild has an excellent social media team of young people and they have built a strong following for Guild on WeChat. Most of the industry in China is younger than other markets, with a large percentage in their thirties,” Liu added.
Cody noted that there were no challenges other than the need to translate and the time difference, adding, “To have a very large captive audience is extraordinary and the value for the Australian opal industry is immeasurable.”
Australia supplies 95 per cent of the world’s precious opal, according to Geoscience Australia. Chinese demand for high-grade Australian opal surged in 2016, and a new Australian Opals Pavilion was established at last year’s Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show.
More reading:
Aussie opal industry back in spotlight
Cracking the colour gemstone code
Hong Kong jewellery shows reveal true trade sentiments