Fresh out of the ground · Far North QLD
It all started in early 2018 when an old friend took me to a creek and I found a crystal just sitting there in the water, looking right at me. That moment ignited something back in my soul that I didn't even know was missing.
"Three scratches in with my pick and boom. That's the feeling. Nothing in the world beats it."
I grew up in New Zealand with a mum who had crystals all over the house. Amethyst especially. There was a big gem hall near my hometown that I absolutely loved as a kid. Turns out that love never left me, it just waited for the right creek in Far North QLD to call it back home.
I didn't even know what topaz was when I picked up my first piece. My mate goes "OMG Kell you just found topaz!" I found nine more on the surface that same day. Lucky? Destiny? Both, I reckon. Topaz is still my absolute favourite to find. The moment that golden flash catches the light for the first time after probably millions of years underground, I lose my mind every single time.
I've dug at O'Brien's Creek more times than I can count. I've been out to the Harts Range in Northern Territory, up through Cloncurry and the Lava Plains sapphire fields, down to Kingsgate in New England NSW, out to Emmaville, across to Stanthorpe. The earth gives differently at every spot and I am grateful for every single one of them.
The community is everything to me. The friendships forged out there in the dust and heat, the sharing of tips and spots and stories around a fire, the pick-for-pick moments that you carry with you forever. I have met some of the most incredible people with picks in their hands and dirt on their faces and I wouldn't trade a single one of them.
Every piece in this shop I found with my own hands, cleaned myself, and sat with for a good while before letting it go. I am big on gratitude. For this lifestyle, for every stone the earth gives up, and for every single one of you who supports this dream. Thank you for being here with me. It means absolutely everything.