The Story.

My name is Elisha Hobbs. I come from a family line who began exploring the vast wilderness here in the Top of the South Island of New Zealand many generations ago. I have always been an avid appreciator of natural beauty.

The purpose of my work is to showcase the incredible intricacies of the stone from this area. The colours and patterning are so unique that they deserve to be shared all over the world. My designs focus on framing the beauty of the stone and presenting it in such wise that its subtle nuances can be appreciated.

The stone deposits of the Top of the South Island have long been overlooked because of their lack of abundance for commercial collection and production, and the lack of gold in the area. In fact, these stones are unique and sought after on a world wide scale, something which has long been understood by international collectors. My work focuses around high quality examples of garnet, gem silica, various copper and iron ores, serpentine and jade to name a few. It is comparatively easy to source a low quality specimen, however most are unusable for fine jewellery. This is due to their alluvial nature, meaning they have been separated from their source reef for many hundreds of thousands of years longer than similar stones from other localities within New Zealand and other parts of the world. Seismic and glacial activity over this time renders most material unusable either due to fracturing or decay of the stone itself. Stone rots just as wood does, though the process takes much longer. Combined with the treacherous nature of the landscape, these factors present a situation where gem quality stone is so rare that in most cases it is simply out of reach.

My extensive explorations began in the Bryant Range, branching out into the mineral belt which stretches across the Top of the South Island. The Bryant Range is so named after the well known explorer and collector William Henderson Bryant, who is a member of my family. William is buried on the banks of the Wairoa River along with my great great great grandparents, Lewis and Anne Mary Bryant.

This land this stone and this work run in my blood, thus it is a great honour to bring these creations to life for the enjoyment of everyone.