From Beads to Australian Opals: My Jewellery Journey at 13

How I Went From Beads at Age Three to Working With Australian Opals

Hi! I’m Georgie, and I’ve been making jewellery for as long as I can remember - literally. When I was about three, I started making tiny plastic bracelets and bead creations for family and friends. I loved colours, patterns, and anything sparkly I could turn into something wearable.

As I got older (and better!), Mum and Dad started buying me nicer materials - gemstone chips, proper silver and gold wires, and tools that made me feel like a real jeweller. With every new material, my designs improved, and eventually we realised some pieces were good enough to sell. I loved the idea of earning a bit of pocket money… mostly to buy more books!

So we started selling my jewellery on a big UK selling and auction site. It went really well - and it still does today. I loved packing orders, talking to customers, and seeing people wear something I made with my own hands.

But everything changed the day we discovered an Australian opal mining family working in Queensland.

We were watching a TV programme, and suddenly there were these incredible stones - flashes of green, blue, pink, red and gold trapped inside something that looked like it had its own universe. I couldn’t stop staring. Mum couldn’t stop staring. Dad couldn’t stop staring. And just like that… beads didn’t feel exciting anymore.

We started buying opal jewellery, stones, and cabochons for our shop stock direct from the miners. Then we went further - rough opal from places like Lightning Ridge, Coober Pedy, and other famous Australian fields. Each stone was different. Each one had its own personality. And I wanted to learn how to work with them.

So now I’m learning how to rub and finish rough opal - shaping it, smoothing it, and bringing out the colours hidden inside. It’s hard work, but it’s also the most magical thing I’ve ever done. Soon, I’ll have my own finished opals available in the shop… so watch this space!

Running Georgie’s Gem Studio is teaching me so much: jewellery design, photography, customer service, finance, marketing, social selling - all the things you need to run a real business. Lots of kids in 2026 are leaving school and struggling to find opportunities. I’m lucky that I’ll be leaving school with something different: a business I built myself and a craft I truly love.

Thanks for being here at the beginning of the opal chapter. I can’t wait to show you what’s coming next.

- Georgie 💎💛