As the daughter of a diamond digger, I grew up on the alluvial diamond diggings in South Africa. I was a nursing sister for seven years, then over time became a professional bronze sculptor never losing my passion for gems.
Growing up, my school holidays were mostly spent on the alluvial diamond diggings. I would spend hours at the sorting table watching the sieves being tipped sometimes seeing a bright rough diamond dazzling in the sunlight. Plenty of time to scratch through the gleaming pile of gemstones being scraped off the table and gaining knowledge of these discarded gems.
From the age of seven I took to scouring the diamond fields, filling my skirts to the brim with gem quality red jasper, fine agates and garnets etc. On returning to Johannesburg, I trapsed into the city with as many bags as I could physically carry, selling to keen eyed gem dealers.
Things were going well so, using some of my earnings, I placed an advert in the newspaper. Those were the days of telegrams - sure enough I received one - See photo of this below (I was 11 years old...)
And so began my lifelong love of gemstones …and an artists eye for fabulous jewelry.
After much encouragement from friends, I have spent the past five years selecting special jewellery pieces carefully handmade by silversmiths and jewellery artists from all around the world.
I offer these pieces at markets in the Auckland region and by arrangement. (see home page for details)
My other hat is that of a bronze sculptor. Notably the life sized bronze of New Zealand racehorse, Phar Lap which stands at Phar Lap Race Course in Tmaru, NZ. Phar Lap was foaled in Washdyke, Timaru. In March 2018, I unveiled my bronze of Sir John Walker in Manurewa, Auckland.
Do visit my sculpture website to view some of my bronze sculptures. www.joannesullivan.studio
Contact Mobile No : +64 21 2318626
Me in the jeans visiting the diggings 1983
There’s indeed a story to this letter below. My father was an accountant with four degrees in accounting and economics (FBSC) who picked up his first diamond on the railway tracks in Bloemhof at the age of six. His father and grandfather were diamond diggers before him. He gave up accounting in a leafy suburbs of Johannesburg and returned to the alluvial diamond fields as a third generation diamond digger. He called this “diamond fever” and so commuted from Johanessburg to Bloemhof near Kimberley in South Africa.
Being an accountant, father insisted that stones I gathered needed to be sold, not given away. I was mortified to have to sit down and write this letter and remember this vividly. It was 1965 and I was seven years old. I doubt I ever recieved my 15 cents as this letter and telegram below reappeard in an album gifted to me on my 21st birthday.
By 1971 I decided it would be better if folks could come to me and collect the stones rather than me lugging as much as I could carry in bags on a bus int the centre of Johannesburg to sell them to the lovely man at “The Rock Shop”. I placed an advert in the newspaper - Blow me down I received a real telegram from Cape Town! Quotes per Ton! I was 11 years old. Shortly after this we relocated to Bloemhof.
