I am personally drawn to carnelian for its vibrant colour but I think subconsciously it's also because of where it comes from, The Coromandel.

The Coromandel is special to me, it's where I spent my holidays with my family growing up. My dad loved to fish and his dad (my grandfather) lived on the Thames Coast. My dad passed away when I was 18 years old, so maybe in a way, it's a connection to him.

When I speak of my materials, I literally mean, MY materials. The Carnelian I use is different from Carnelian anywhere else.  99.99% of Carnelian doesn't come from Aotearoa New Zealand.  So it is important to note that unless it is stated as NZ Carnelian (in other stores) it wont be from NZ.

My rough Carnelian comes from the Coromandel region in the north island here in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

It comes from a Mother and daughter duo who’s collection I was lucky enough to take over. They hand collected it back in the 1980’s as a hobby.  They would spend their weekends and holidays hiking on foot through the Coromandel with only pick axes and back packs, carrying out what they had collected.
It then spent 40 years sitting in its rough original state at their family home in their garden until they had to move house and I came along to be the new owner of their collection. They were thrilled that their life collection was going to someone who would love it just as much as them!

Carnelian isn’t mined for here in New Zealand. It is only hand collected by hobbyists and rock collectors alike who enjoy the thrill of spending time in nature and hunting for rocks.

It is found in its rough form and then I cut and shape it into how you see it in my jewellery today. It takes a skilled lapidist to facet gems and there aren’t many in New Zealand. Which is another reason why you won’t see gems like mine anywhere else in the world! Aotearoa gems aren’t cut and sold commercially, so only those who can obtain the rough gem and then cut it themselves (or have it sent overseas to be cut) have the privilege of putting them into jewels.

Carnelian is only found in a couple of places in New Zealand. The main locations being Coromandel, Northland and a small amount in Canterbury.

Carnelian is a variety of the silica mineral chalcedony coloured by impurities of iron oxide which gives it its lovely red/orange colour.

Whilst I collect Carnelian myself with my girls (age 3 + 6), I don’t actually use the stones I collect. Those I keep as a part of my personal collection to make family jewels with.

Next up will be agate…coming soon!