Opal For October & Beady Pens
3rd October 2026
See us this Saturday 3rd Oct at the Swindon Bead Fair, at Purton Village Hall SN5 4AJ. And Sunday 4th Oct at London Luton Bead Fair. Both free entry & refreshments: 11am to 4pm.
MrBead Shop: https://mrbeadshop.com. For all shows this year, click Bead Fairs 2026
Content:
Upcoming Bead Fairs
Beads Up North Prize Winner
Beady Pens
Bead Fair Reports
Opal For October
Enjoy a Bead Fair Soon
2026 Bead Fairs
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15% Off All From MrBead
Enjoy 15% off anything with no minimum order. Shipping is free too on UK orders over £45. International shipping from US$13.
Can only be used at the NEW shop & not with any other coupon. To get the discount Key OPAL at checkout now, as offer ends Friday 9th October 2026. Use at https://mrbeadshop.com.
Upcoming Bead Fairs – All Free Entry & Refreshments!
Swindon Bead Fair – Saturday 3rd October
At Purton Village Hall, Purton SN5 2AJ. Semi precious beads by MrBead, seed beads & findings by Southampton Bead Shop & others. Just 8-minutes from M4 Exit 16. Lots of easy parking at the hall. Disabled access. Free entry & refreshments! For full details click here.
London Luton Bead Fair – Sunday 4th October
At the Stockwood Hotel, Luton LU1 3SS. 10-minutes walk from City Centre. Half-hours drive from London, and 5-minutes from M1 exit 10 – down London Rd, into Castle St. Follow Town Centre local traffic signs from motorway.
Visitors from London say it’s faster to see us here, than when we’re actually in London! Limited parking at the hotel, but there’s a car park just 2-minutes walk away: South Road Car Park LU1 3AL. Free entry & refreshments! For full details click here.
Beads Up North Prize Winner
This show’s prize draw was won by Carole Archer of Southport. Carole has been sent a gift from each exhibitor at Beads Up North, Haydock show.
Rainbow Beady Pens
These beautiful, original pens are made by Louise Grundy. It just shows what can be made using beads! Click to see on Facebook and Instagram at Louloujoojoo.
Here at LouLou JooJoo we hand make crystal bead accessories with intuition and intention to elevate your wellbeing & style. Our current collections include many different crystal combination pens to support and align with your Chakras also known as emotional energy centres.
The crystals in our accessories are selected based through intuition and intention based on their healing properties, each resonating and aligning with one or more of our bodies Chakras (energy centres). Keyrings, handbag charms and phone strap collection are in future development.
Beads Up North – Haydock
This last Beads Up North show was quite busy with 14 exhibitors, but we didn’t do well selling our semi precious beads (we never do around this area).
OPAL FOR OCTOBER
What Is Opal?
All of natures fury can be seen in fine opal. Like a Rembrandt: fire, lightning, all the colours of the rainbow and the shine of far seas.Australia supplies about 95% of the worlds opal from the outback. Aborigines believe their creator came down to Earth on a rainbow, bringing the message of peace.
The name Opal came from many places. In Greek Opallios translates as colour change, and to the ancient Romans Opalus was a stone from several elements. Pliny, a Roman author, wrote opal combines the sparkle of Almandine, the shining purple of Amethyst, the golden yellow of Topaz, and the deep blue of Sapphire.
Types of Opal
Fine opals shine and sparkle in a continually changing play of colours called Opalising. Depending on the location they have names like Harlequin, Peacock, and Fire Opal. Most opal has this play of colours except Common Opal, a name give to all others, like Pink Opal.
As demand outstrips supply, fine opalizing opal is very expensive – sometimes costing hundreds of pounds each bead. Therefore, the most popular for jewellery is non-opalizing opal – usually pink opal from Peru.
Opals play of colour is caused by small spheres of silica creating interference and refraction. The spheres, which are arranged in compact structures, dissect light through the gemstone, turning it into the rainbow effect, always new and different.
Peruvian Opal
Peruvian Opal comes in faint pink, light blue and light mint-green tones. From the Andes Mountains near San Patricio, Peru.
Although native South Americans have been using the stone for thousands of years, it only became widely available recently. It’s usually translucent to opaque with no play of colour and often has lots of black and tan dendrites.
Most Peruvian Opal beads are semi-opaque to opaque. Peruvian opals metaphysical properties are similar to other opals. Helping to intensify your traits and characteristics. Peruvian Opal can activate the heart charka and assist during spiritual journeys.
How to Value Opal
Price of fine opal depends on its play of colour, the colours, their pattern and location. If red appears when looking through the stone, so will all the other colours.
Black Opal has the most play of colour. Especially from Lightning Ridge or Mexican Fire Opal. Crystal opal is the next best, being more transparent with a deep play of colour. White or milky opals with diffuse colour and are the cheapest.
To bring out the play of colour in a fine opal, the stones are cut and polished to round or oval cabochons. Only the best qualities of Fire Opal is faceted.
How does Opal Effect You?
Opal is thought to remove depression and to help find true love.
Looking after Opal
Due to containing 5% water, opals easily become brittle. If stored too dry, the play of colour will fade. Therefore, Opal jewellery should be worn as often as possible, giving gemstone the humidity from the air and skin of its wearer.
See our Peruvian Opal Nugget Beads: Opal Beads
Enjoy a Bead Fair Soon
Bead shows are great fun. You’ll love them! Bring a trolley, as beads get heavy. Take some cash, as a few venues have a weak signal for card payments. Talk to the vendors and other visitors to inspire new design ideas. Make a note of what you paid for beads, and keep exhibitors’ business cards and leaflets.
2026 Bead Fairs
We have booked 30 shows so far for 2026:
Saturday 3rd October: Swindon Bead Fair, Purton Village Hall, 70 Station Road, Purton SN5 4AJ
Sunday 4th October: London Luton Bead Fair, Stockwood Hotel, Luton LU1 3SS
Sunday 18th October: Cambridge Bead Fair, Harston Village Hall, Harston CB22 7PX
Sunday 25th October: Norwich Bead Fair, George Best Western Hotel, Norwich NR2 2DA.
Sunday 1st November: Windsor Bead Fair, Old Windsor Memoral Hall, Straight Road SL4 2RN.
Click For All Bookings: 2026 Bead Fairs
15% Off All From MrBead
Enjoy 15% off anything with no minimum order. Shipping is free too on UK orders over £45. International shipping from US$13.
Can only be used at the NEW shop & not with any other coupon. To get the discount Key OPAL at checkout now, as offer ends Friday 9th October 2026. Use at https://mrbeadshop.com.
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