Materialen

Materials matter deeply to Elizabeth. She spends hours working silver into intricate filigree and setting stones by hand, so what reaches her workbench has to feel worthy of that time. Quality is essential, but she is equally interested in the nature of a material: how it behaves in her hands, how it catches the light and, when it is possible to know, where it came from.

Gemstones add another dimension. Some were formed millions of years ago, far below the earth’s surface, before passing through the hands of miners and cutters on their way to Elizabeth’s atelier. Knowing something of that journey has become increasingly important to the way she chooses the materials for Diosa del Alma.

Precious Metals

Most Diosa del Alma jewellery begins in 925 sterling silver. Once Elizabeth has completed the goldsmithing, the finished piece is plated with 3 microns of gold. Rings are given 5 microns because they are exposed to considerably more wear. Elizabeth deliberately chooses a substantial layer of gold to give the finish greater longevity.

There is freedom in the colour of the gold. Elizabeth works with the softer yellow of 18 carat as well as the deeper warmth of 24 carat, while rose gold is another possibility. Designs can also be commissioned in solid 18-carat gold.

Silver occasionally takes a more visible role. In pieces where silver and gold appear together, Elizabeth uses Argentium silver for the frame and 99.9% fine silver for the filigree. Argentium has a naturally bright, white appearance and is more resistant to tarnishing than conventional sterling silver. Paired with fine silver, it gives her the
clear, luminous tone she wants beside warm gold. Here, the difference between the two metals is part of the design itself.

Gemstones

Elizabeth does not have a single way of choosing a gemstone. Sometimes the design comes first and she searches for the right stone to complete it. On other occasions, colours and materials come together while she is working. The story she wants a jewel to carry can lead her towards a particular stone too, including meanings that have been attached to gemstones over centuries.

Natural stones inevitably vary. Two gems from the same region may differ in colour, clarity, inclusions or cut. Elizabeth sees those differences as part of working with a material shaped by nature rather than something that needs to be made uniform.

For commissions, the choice can become more personal. Elizabeth searches for a stone with the client’s wishes in mind, looking for one that feels right for both the design and its future wearer. The resulting jewel may therefore be set with an entirely different gemstone from the original piece.

Mara Gems

Long before a gemstone reaches Elizabeth’s atelier, it has already passed through another world. It begins in the landscape where it was found, with the people who brought it from the earth and the cutters who gradually reveal the colour and brilliance hidden within the rough stone.

That is one of the reasons Elizabeth values her relationship with Mara Gems so much. Founder Marjolein travels to Madagascar herself, visiting mining areas and returning to the communities she works with. She knows the people behind the stones and builds these relationships personally over time. The miners are paid more than is locally customary, allowing their work to contribute more meaningfully to their families and everyday lives.

For Elizabeth, knowing this changes the way she looks at a gemstone. Colour, quality and cut will always matter, but it feels especially meaningful to work with a stone when its origin is known and when the people whose hands have touched it along the way are part of that story too.

Rubellite from Tsilaizina

Rubellite is tourmaline in some of its richest colours, moving from saturated pink into deep red. Its intensity comes from manganese in the crystal and remains remarkably vivid under different kinds of light. The rubellite Elizabeth uses comes through Mara Gems from Tsilaizina in central Madagascar.

The photograph beside this text captures a part of the process that normally disappears once a stone is finished. One of the cutters is working the rough material, gradually finding the shape, polish and colour within it. Mara Gems works with a regular group of cutters within the same chain, and Marjolein has visited Tsilaizina several times herself. She knows both the mining community and the people responsible for transforming the rough stones afterwards.

For Elizabeth, it is precisely this meeting of extraordinary colour, skilled hands and a known origin that makes rubellite such a pleasure to work with.

Sapphirine from Morafeno

Sapphirine is an unusual presence in fine jewellery. Found in only a small number of places around the world, it forms under extreme heat and pressure in magnesium rich rock. Its colour can move from blue into blue green and grey green, with subtle differences that give each stone its own character.

The difficulty lies not only in finding it. Sapphirine has a complex internal structure and requires considerable experience to facet well, which makes finely cut examples relatively rare in jewellery. Mara Gems Informatie over edelstenen – Herkomst .docx That combination of rarity and colour immediately fascinated Elizabeth.

In Astraea Sapphirine, the stone rests at the heart of the filigree flower. Its cool blue green tone against warm gold gives the jewel an entirely different atmosphere. It is a small stone, but one Elizabeth fell for precisely because it brings so much character to the flower.

Spessartine from Ibity

The spessartine used in the Dahlia collection begins in the mountains of Ibity, near Antsirabe. This manganese rich garnet is known for warm orange and red orange tones, and the area is rich in pegmatites, the rock formations in which crystals can develop slowly over time. The photograph shows the spessartine still held within its host rock, before it has been released, cut and polished.

Its route to Mara Gems is unusually direct. The mine belongs to Hery, Mara Gems’ local partner. Material from the mine goes to his own cutters and from there directly to Mara Gems. Marjolein has visited Ibity herself, seeing the mountain, the working methods and the origin of these stones first hand.

Those glowing orange tones later became part of the inspiration for Dahlia Spessartine. Elizabeth loves knowing that the polished stone she eventually sets
into gold can be traced all the way back to this particular mountain and the people who worked with it before it ever reached her atelier.

Rhodolite from Ampanihy

Rhodolite belongs to the garnet family and is a natural combination of pyrope and almandine. Its colour ranges from pink to purplish red, with a warmth and clarity that works particularly well with gold. The rhodolite used by Diosa del Alma comes through Mara Gems from Ampanihy in southwestern Madagascar.

From the mining area, the stones move through a small and known chain before reaching Mara Gems, with Hery responsible for selection, quality control and further processing. Mara Gems Informatie over edelstenen. By the time a rhodolite reaches Elizabeth’s bench, she knows far more about it than simply its colour and cut.

In the Rosalia Rhodolite Cascada, the stone becomes the heart of the flower. Surrounded by fine golden filigree, its deep pink red colour gives Rosalia a warm, beautifully defined centre. The journey from Ampanihy to Elizabeth’s own workbench is part of what makes setting that final stone feel so special.

Kornerupine from Betroka

Kornerupine is a rare gemstone, found only in relatively small quantities. The stones from Betroka in southern Madagascar have a particularly subtle character, moving between soft grey green and blue grey as the light changes. Their natural vitreous lustre gives the colour a gentle clarity, making each stone feel slightly different
depending on how it is seen.

In Betroka, kornerupine is mined on a small scale in an area known for it metamorphic geology. The rough material first passes through a local trader before reaching Hery, who selects the stones, oversees their quality and has them cut in his own workshop. From there, the finished gemstones go directly to Mara Gems, keeping the route from the mining area to the cut stone known and traceable.

What makes kornerupine so appealing in jewellery is its restraint. Its colour never feels simply green or blue, but moves quietly between cooler grey, green and
blue tones. In the Margarita Kornerupine Studs, a faceted stone sits at the heart of the flower, surrounded by layered filigree. Against the warmth of the gold, its cooler grey green tones become more noticeable, while the facets catch the light in a subtle
way.