Broken Heart - Mended

Solid Opal, Sterling Silver, Copper, 23kt Gold.

Two of the things I love and collect are Opals and shells. This piece is both. An opalised shell from Coober Pedy, South Australia. The Opal was formed when Silica-rich water replaced the space where the shell had lived in the Eromanga Sea over 100 million years ago. Despite being fractured, this Opal is still precious and worthy of mending with another material of the finest purity I could procure – 23Kt gold.

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All pieces in this exhibition are mounted on silver and copper. The silver base represents the water that was once part of the Eromanga Sea covering up to one-third of the mainland Australian continent. The copper represents both the rusted machinery and mining debris you see when you visit Coober Pedy and the land it now sits within. The history of this ancient landscape fascinated me well before I started making jewellery, and my love of Opals began with a ring I received in my late teens. It wasn’t until 2025 that I finally visited the South Australian outback and experienced its captivating hold firsthand.