Well this month has been a hard one for us at Eureka. We normally like to keep our newsletters fun and upbeat, but it is with great sadness that we need to share that our beloved original shop dog Pavlova recently passed away. A very special pup, Pavlova had a rough start to life when she was orphaned at a very young age. Her first owner (an early Toomuc staff member) hand-raised her and her siblings and Pavlova soon found a permanent home at Eureka! Beads.

Pavlova went on to spend her entire working life meeting and greeting at our Toomuc Valley store. And it was with great gusto she approached her role - convincing even the most energetic young child that they just HAD to calmly sit down and pat her. In her later years she found that she was losing her sight and hearing, and was initially distraught whenever she realised a visitor had been and gone without patting her. Not to be thwarted, she quickly found a solution and would happily sit by the door all day to ensure no-one escaped without patting her!

Pavlova's final months were spent on a great adventure, touring the outback, spending every waking moment with her mum exploring our beautiful country - truly a Queen of the Desert!

Thankyou to everyone who was a part of her life - she really did adore all of her visitors. She will be sorely missed by all.

Our fun clay beads are currently on sale: were $3 now only $0.50 per piece.  Sale prices are available online and instore, until the 31st October. What about a witchy pair of earrings for halloween, or even some devil girls? Or, start getting ready for Christmas with our red strawberry girl or green pixie girls! Stock limited, so get in quick :)

Also on sale:

• CLEARANCE giftware (online & instore, stock varies) - start getting ready for Christmas!
  
• SUPER SALE bulk charms (online only) - massive packs for only $5
  
• BULK hangsell bags (online & instore) - perfect for storing &/or selling your creations
  

Our latest set of beading classes is now available to see on our website! Come along and join in on the fun and excitement of jewellery making, with classes available for those just starting out, to the more advanced. Class numbers are limited, so call and book into the class of your choice today. Classes are held at our shop in Cheltenham, Victoria. Don't forget that we have a great range of free beading instructions available for download.

We hold beginners classes twice a month and advanced classes twice a month. A beginners stringing necklace must be completed before attempting an advanced class. Advanced classes change every month - keep an eye on our website for the latest list! Our upcoming classes are:

Our Cheltenham and Toomuc Valley stores will be closed on November 6th for the Melbourne Cup public holiday.  Our website will still be taking orders, however due to post office closures, orders will not be sent until Wednesday.

#GemmologyFacts: Also known as hecorite, hicorite and mook, mookaite is actually a jasper, a cryptocrystalline variety of quartz coloured by large amounts of pigments (usually iron oxides). Jasper is opaque, and colours range from reds and browns to greens and yellows, with many different patterns.

The mookaite variety in particular is an earthy toned coloured gemstone, found only in Australia (Mooka Station, Western Australia) - its colours are a fantastic representation of the Australian outback.