Double Victory

SYDNEY: Australian jewellery brand Venerari took both first and runner up position in Opal Design at the JAA 2006 Jewellery Design Awards. Gemmologist Kingsley Wallman and his jewellery designer partner Genevieve Lilley accepted the awards for their 'Opalace' and 'Doreen's Glory' creations. The category winner, Opalace, is an 18ct yellow gold necklace on green satin chord and features 40 interconnected gold shapes, nine of which are set with natural solid Queensland boulder opals.

:SABA does Bondi
Westfield Bondi Junction has boosted its portfolio of womenswear stores with two recent openings: BOSS Woman and SABA. Designed by architectural firm HP&G, SABA Bondi opened with a new spring/summer capsule collection for women
while BOSS Woman showcased the latest range from BOSS black and BOSS orange.
Featuring white lacquer, brushed steel, magnolia and limestone, BOSS Women has incorporated a modern design aesthetic with SABA taking a more traditional approach of warm woods, motif wallpaper and geometric carpeting.

:Woolly education
BELMONT: A series of short courses on wool technology will be held at the CSIRO's textile and technology centre during September and October 2006. The courses will cover major stages of the wool processing
:Cotton on
SYDNEY: American agricultural company Monsanto is working on developing drought tolerant cotton for both the Australian and US markets. Speaking at the 13th Australian Cotton Conference earlier this month, Fred Perlak, director of Cotton and Specialty Crop Technology, said the research program is already yielding positive results. While it is focused to achieve a 20 per cent increase in water efficiency, Perlak also said the company is developing a new variety of insect resistant cotton called Bollgard III.

:Tech Expo
MELBOURNE: The 2006 Retail Technology Expo will be held in conjunction with Shopfit Display and Design and the National Retail Forum. Staged from September 19 to 21, the event aims to showcase the latest retail technology solutions, point of sale equipment, financial and back office software plus shop fitting products and retail design innovations. The previous year attracted some 6000 retailers and trade visitors including 351 National Retail Forum delegates. This year, the expo will take place at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre. For more: retailtechexpo.com.au.