ANYTIME GIFTS
Gift in Cape Town

These stones served a purpose and taught her to appreciate nature’s beauty, but eventually they gathered dust. There is already too much lifeless plastic in our world! Working with them cultivates tranquillity: your mind is absorbed, your worries float away. Over many months the idea became a product, with the patient help of staff at the Cape Craft and Design Institute. Pamela Ntlako, right, was part of the team who worked patiently putting the stones into bags. Make a present of a gemstone picture kit and you give hours of joy, plus a satisfying, unique result that everyone loves. You will like my new range if you’ve loved adult colouring books, but would now like something to show for your time. Creating a polished stone picture brings the same tranquillity and peace of mind, and rewards you with a picture of outstanding natural beauty that everyone will notice. The light-reflecting, age- old gemstones add lustre and light, bringing life to subjects such as animals in a way that nothing else can. Adult colouring books have enjoyed unprecedented sales in recent years. Perhaps it’s because they satisfy a craving for beauty and colour. And the act of filling in precise patterns uses both halves of the brain, bringing feelings of well-being, tranquillity and peace. The outcome is similar to mindfulness practice: you get the effect and benefits but in a delightfully effortless way! Working with stones does take patience, it’s true, but is deeply absorbing. It allows your cares to be forgotten and your mind to be still. The resulting picture is one to keep and display with pride: it will not fade as water colours do. And the stones are said to have healing properties all of their own. So if you feel the need to challenge yourself, or take your hobby several notches higher, we have an animal series, a scenic series and a portrait series. You could also, of course, use one of our kits to create a picture of your own beloved pet or person. Because the stones are not man-made we cannot always supply to order. These kits allow them to be appreciated in a new way. But, like us, their inner beauty can be brought out and made to look exquisite. By introducing polished semi-precious stones as the colouring medium, g emstone art raises the concept several notches. The sparkling crystals reflect the light, bringing the black and white outline richly to life. The healing power of crystals adds greatly to the calmness, grounding and centring people as they work.