My fascination with Australian sapphires began the moment I discovered them, about 12 years ago. Their colours alone are astonishing, ranging from the classic inky royal blues to soft sky blues, honeyed yellows, blush pinks, vibrant greens, fiery oranges and of course the parti sapphires, which display multiple colours within a single stone. These polychrome marvels are uniquely Australian, often featuring extraordinary combinations of green, blue and yellow in one stone. But it’s not just their palette that draws me in, it’s where they come from, and the people who bring them to light.

The provenance of a gemstone matters. It’s more than a concept to me, it’s fundamental to my practice. Words like ‘sustainable’ and ‘ethically sourced’ often lack true meaning if the stone’s origins are uncertain. For me, provenance means being able to trace a gem back to its source, knowing not just where it comes from, but who unearthed it and the journey it took to reach my studio. This traceability brings authenticity, which is the cornerstone of my work. 

Australian sapphires are discovered in regions rich in both geological and human stories – places like Central Queensland’s Gemfields, the New England region of New South Wales and parts of northern New South Wales around Inverell. Many of the sapphires I use are sourced directly from fossickers and small-scale miners who know these lands like the backs of their hands. Their expertise, persistence and respect for the land are what make these gems possible.

One miner once described to me how he uncovered a parti sapphire just a few feet below the surface in the Divide Fossicking Area. He had hand-dug the stone himself – a 35 carat piece of rough that he later cut into a stunning emerald cut gem. Unheated, untreated, and with no visible inclusions, the stone held within it not just beauty but a story of effort and discovery. I love being able to pass those details along to my clients.

This kind of transparency and intimacy is incredibly rare in the jewellery world. Unlike diamonds, which often pass through many hands and borders before reaching the market, Australian sapphires (as well as other Australian gemstones like opal, turquoise, chrysoprase) allow me to offer my clients true traceability. I can tell them that their stone was cut locally on the fields, and the relationships I’ve built with fossickers means I often know the full story of the gem.

These relationships are precious. Many of the miners I work with operate on a small scale, driven by passion. They spend long days out in the field, digging and sorting rough stones in the hope of finding that one remarkable piece. It’s a quiet kind of heroism, and it makes the work I do in the studio feel all the more significant.

Here’s to sharing more of these stories and creating more jewellery with these iconic Australian treasures.