Most jigsaw brands come from Europe or North America, which is why so many puzzles feature Tuscan villages, New England lighthouses and cottages buried in snow. Lovely. But sometimes you want to piece together country that looks like home.
That is why we love Blue Opal. It is the Australian range in our line-up, and it does something no imported brand can: puzzles built around Australian artists and Australian subjects. Wildlife you have actually seen in your own garden. Landscapes you have driven through. Art with the particular light and colour that only this country has.
If you love jigsaws, the Blue Opal range is well worth considerting.
Now, here are a few reasons Blue Opal puzzles keep leaving our shelves.
They make the best "sending it overseas" gift we know. If you have family in the UK, Canada or anywhere else, an Australian puzzle in the Christmas parcel beats another stuffed kangaroo by a wide margin. It is flat, it posts well, and it gives the recipient hours with Australian art rather than thirty seconds with a souvenir.
They are conversation puzzles. Australian wildlife and detailed Australiana scenes give you lots of distinct areas to work on, which makes them well suited to two or three people puzzling together, each with their own patch.
And they support Australian art. Every Blue Opal puzzle features an artist's work, and plenty of collectors follow their favourite artists from release to release the way others follow authors.
If you are new to the range, our suggestion is to start with a subject you love. A bird you know, a place you have been, a style of painting that suits your wall, because let's be honest, the good ones end up framed.
Everything we stock is brand new and sealed, from an Australian family business that thinks Australian tables deserve Australian puzzles at least some of the time.