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About Laszlo's Opals & Jewelry
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Laszlo's Opals & Jewelry is a family run opal business based in Adelaide, South Australia. We specialise in Australian Opal Inlay Jewelry. Laszlo & Debbi Katona have more than 50 years combined industry experience, mining in Mintabie and Lambina Opal Fields (South Australia). All processing of opal from their mines in Mintabie is done by Laszlo & Debbi, who have been exporting opal worldwide via the internet since 2000.
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"Having spent much of my life on the opal fields of Coober Pedy and Mintabie in South Australia, opal has always been a big part of my life. It has often been said that opal gets into your blood, and I can personally verify that! The diverse variety of opal has held my interest and fascination for many years. Finding opal is one of the most exciting things on earth and life on the opal fields is an experience unlike any other. Cleaning a raw opal and uncovering the pattern and color locked within is like unearthing a priceless work of art hidden for eons!
I look forward to providing opal lovers worldwide with opals and jewellery that will give beauty and pleasure for a lifetime."
Laszlo & Debbi Katona,
Proprietors, Laszlo's Opals & Jewelry
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How Opal Inlay jewellery is made:
All opal in Laszlo's Opals and Jewelry opal inlay is solid, untreated natural opal mined in Australia. The crystal opal in Laszlo's inlay jewelry is inlaid precisely into the finding using modern inlay techniques, highlighting the natural beauty of the opals.
A little care is required to maintain opal inlay jewelry, in turn providing many years of enjoyment. Opal is a durable precious stone, but can chip if dropped onto a hard surface such as concrete. Avoid repeated exposure of inlay jewelry to chemical cleaners and strong detergents which may, over time react with the opal inlays.
Opal inlay rings should not be re-sized, as the process of enlarging the ring's band may exert flexing pressures on the opal resulting in damage to the stone.
Opal jewelry can be cleaned with warm water and a little mild detergent and rubbed with a soft cloth.
Laszlo's opals stand by our products.
All opal products from Laszlo's Opals & Jewelry leave our workshop in perfect condition. If you are not completely satisfied with a product purchased from Laszlo's Opals & Jewelry, return it undamaged within 30 days and we will refund the purchase price of the item. Please note that items must be returned at the expense of the purchaser.
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An Interview with Laszlo Katona, Proprietor of Laszlo's Opals & Jewelry
By Sean Proske, thewebhostcompany.com
Recently, I had an opportunity to discuss the elements of what makes a successful website with Laszlo Katona, Proprietor of Laszlo's Opals & Jewelry. Just like any other webmaster, Laszlo faced a number of challenges when getting the website http://www.opal-jewelry.com for Laszlo's Opals & Jewelry to the point it's now at. Hopefully the experiences shared in this discussion will help other webmasters to overcome their own obstacles. Laszlo's Opals & Jewelry is involved in the Opal Jewelry industry.
"Laszlo's Opals & Jewelry is an Australian opal jewelry manufacturer specialising in opal inlay jewelry. Coming from an opal mining background, Laszlo has successfully made the transition from miner to opal jewelry manufacturer and supplier to customers worldwide through the opal-jewelry.com website. Australia is the world's premier opal producer and South Australia produces more fine quality opal than anywhere else in the world. This provides Laszlo's South Australian opal business with a unique opportunity to offer great value to a world market through internet marketing."
Here is what Laszlo had to say during our interview...
thewebhostcompany.com: Can you tell us a little bit about your personal background?
Laszlo: Opal has always been a big part of my life, with much of my youth spend on the opal fields of Coober Pedy and Mintabie. In 1985 I settled in Mintabie with my wife Debbi and daughters Janelle and Hayley. These were exciting times as Mintabie was booming! They were also tough times as opal is not easy to find, even when a field is at a peak of production. It was during my time in Mintabie that I acquired the intimate understanding of opal needed to be successful in this industry. I also developed the opal cutting and inlaying skills that I specialise in now. We moved to Adelaide in 1999 so our children could attend secondary school here and have repositioned our wholesale jewelry business into an exporter of quality opal inlay rings and jewelry.
thewebhostcompany.com: How would you describe your business, what sorts of products or services do you provide and what is your target market?
Laszlo: My primary business is supplying opal inlaid rings and jewelry to cusomers worldwide, however my largest market has always been the United States. My U.S. customers have a love and appreciation of opal that is unmatched elsewhere, so I am very happy to be able to provide them with my quality opal products.
thewebhostcompany.com: How large would you say your business is in comparison to other firms in your industry?
Laszlo: The opal industry is definitely a niche industry, and is probably best described as a cottage industry. My business is small to average in size for an opal business which gives me a distinct advantage, because I can provide personal service to my customers that larger companies are too busy to provide. One of the most regular comments I receive from my customers is that our customer service is exceptional.
thewebhostcompany.com: What would you say your biggest advantage is over your competitors?
Laszlo: My advantages over my competitors are my knowledge of opal that allows me to select the optimal opal for the inlay products I manufacture. This produces a very bright, beautiful product. Location is also a distinct advantage. I am in close proximity of some of the world's largest opal fields. This allows me to procure quality opal from my many miner friends on the opal fields and pass on the savings to my customers. Price is often the bottom line when customers are shopping for a product. The internet provides unique opportunities for people to search out the best price and quality possible. My company has a distinct advantage in this area! Comparisons with the many opal jewelry suppliers and retailers prove our products are consistently priced below our competitors without compromising quality.
thewebhostcompany.com: How long has your company had a presence on the Internet?
Laszlo: Laszlo's Opals & Jewelry has been providing opal jewelry to its customers via the internet since 2000.
thewebhostcompany.com: How and why did you decide to go online, and what obstacles if any did you encounter during the process, how did you overcome these obstacles?
Laszlo: We were supplying our products wholesale throughout Australia for some years before going online. Airline strikes, a downturn in tourism and the unfortunate events of September 11 led to a slump in the wholesale jewelry industry that is driven by tourism . Instead of trying to ride out the downturn, we decided to deliver our products directly to the customers via our web-site, and we have never looked back! The initial pickup was slow as it always is with new web-sites, however it has gained momentum, and customer satisfaction has led to much repeat business and new customers finding us through internet search and word of mouth!
thewebhostcompany.com: What is the main function or purpose of your website?
Laszlo: Our website is a showcase of our products and an introduction to Laszlo and Debbi - the people behind the business.
thewebhostcompany.com: What sorts of things did you consider in deciding how to structure your site in terms of both organization and design?
Laszlo: Our site had to be easy to navigate, providing the information necessary for our customers to make an informed decision when purchasing our products. This means providing quality images of our products, clear concise descriptions and information with intuitive navigation.
thewebhostcompany.com: How long after launching your site did you begin to see results, and were the results what you expected to see?
Laszlo: Results took about six months to realise. Our product is perhaps one of the best kept secrets in the world even though we have an internet presence.
thewebhostcompany.com: Has your business benefited from being online, if so then how much business do you attribute to your website?
Laszlo: Our business is almost 100% online!
thewebhostcompany.com: How often do you update your website, and what sorts of things do you take into consideration with each update?
Laszlo: Our site is updated as we rotate our product line - adding new designs and removing less popular ones. We have added opal information and testimonials. We also keep abreast of search engine requirements so that we can structure our content to satisfy the requirements of the search engines that index our site.
thewebhostcompany.com: What role if any do you have in the design and maintenance of your site?
Laszlo: The site has been written and maintained by myself with help from a programmer for the order form.
thewebhostcompany.com: Thank you for your time, Laszlo. I'm sure this will be very useful information for many of our readers.
Laszlo: You're welcome.
Mailing Address:
P.O.Box 536
Prospect East
South Australia, 5082
Ph: 61 08 7226 2943
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