What Is Crushed Stones and Why These Pieces Are Unlike Anything Else.
Semi-precious stone jewelry exists on a spectrum from machine-stamped pieces to work that takes real
patience. Kate Koel's Crushed Stones collection sits at one end of that spectrum the end where every
piece is made by hand, with a real stone, one at a time.
Here is what the process looks like: a gemstone like lapis lazuli from the Middle East, malachite from the
Congo, garnet from India, amethyst, pyrite, turquoise, jasper in a form of small fragments that preserve
its natural color and fracture pattern. Those fragments are selected and placed by hand inside a
glass-like resin molds, metal frames or bezels, poured layers, until the stone is fully encapsulated. The resin cures clear and
hard as glass. What you are left with is the actual mineral under a lens effect.
No two pieces are the same. The stone decides the texture inside.
Lapis lazuli has been one of the most coveted stones on earth for over six thousand years. The ancient Egyptians ground it into pigment for burial masks. The Renaissance painters used it to mix ultramarine, blue. Its color deep Prussian blue flecked with gold pyrite cannot be reproduced by dye, resin, or any synthetic process. The only way to have it is to use the real stone.
Kate's lapis lazuli necklaces, lapis lazuli rings, lapis lazuli bracelets, and lapis lazuli earrings all use genuine lapis lazuli, crushed and handset into glass-like resin so the interior of the stone the part most jewelers never show is what you see. Many pieces are set in 14k Gold Filled or 925 Sterling Silver that will serve you a lifetime as you’re favorite jewelry.
Malachite, Pyrite, Garnet Each Stone Has Its Own Story
Malachite grows in concentric rings of bright and dark green a pattern so distinctive that every malachite ring Kate makes looks like a cross-section of a different planet. No two pieces share the same pattern because no two fragments of malachite break the same way.
Pyrite fool's gold is anything but foolish. Its natural metallic glitter is unlike anything manufactured.
Kate's pyrite jewelry captures that glitter inside clear resin where it catches light the way a mineral should: from the inside out.
Garnet is the January birthstone a deep red stone that has represented passion and protection across cultures for centuries. Kate's handmade garnet necklaces and garnet pendants are made from real crushed garnet, each one carrying the stone's actual color and fracture.
Looking for a January birthstone necklace, or a February birthstone gift in amethyst? These are made one at a time, not pulled from the rack.
The Signature Mixes: When Stones Work Together
Some of Kate's most distinctive pieces are not single stone they are proprietary blends developed over years of working with these minerals. Each mix has a name because each one has a personality.
Gemmix is the original multi-stone blend a combination of semi-precious gemstones set together in a single piece. The result is a geological argument: that no stone should have to work alone.
Ocean Mix brings together mother of pearl, abalone shell, and turquoise. The palette shifts the way shallow water does between cream, iridescent blue-green, and the deep teal of turquoise.
Galaxy pairs pyrite's metallic glitter with darker stones to recreate the exact effect of looking at a night sky from somewhere with no light pollution. It is one of the most asked-about pieces in the collection.
