The Artist

Nathalie  2022 still loving what I do best, making gemtrees !!

40 plus years making Gemtrees

I started making gem trees in my parent’s garage at the age of 16. (1981) My father saw the idea overseas and came home with some materials and made one in front of my mother and I. We looked on in fascination as he made something that looked like a TV antenna (not good, sorry Dad, we laughed at it, no internet then to show us what he meant) My mother, who was very arty and could make a shack look like a palace, could see what he was getting at. She grabbed the tree and did this amazing twist round it, then fiddled a bit more and viola. There was the first gem tree. Dad was delighted she saved him from losing grace, I always remember this day because it started something very special for me.

So off to the market I went a few weeks later, with a small stock of trees and a rickety old table, a hand written birthstone list and a very attractive Mother in high heels (she got me the spot on the market !! I was far to timid at this point). I sold out that day, people loved them so much and my Mother was a champion sales lady and so I was in business.

We moved to Queenstown  that summer I had a stall on Queenstown Mall. Back in those days there was me, John Parsons the Artist and Grant who sold the cherries, the year was 1982. I would gather my bases from the lakeside and set the trees on those, sell on the mall in the daytime and twist little trees in the evening or on rainy days. It was then I realized that the gemtrees would always be my thing, twisting relaxes me and I learnt to twist and watch TV at the same time, so you can imagine I thought I had it made.

As the years went on and life threw me some curve balls, the biggest being when my Father died very young in an accident and this made Mum and I return to Europe for a while, I found myself in Mallorca, Spain again and as I yearned  for my beloved South Island New Zealand, I got into my trees and went BIG. We got a shop, I had business partners, we had all the markets on the island 12 a week with our stalls there selling gemtrees to tourists from all over the world. In this time we discovered that the curative powers of the gemstones were being explored and people were loving the ancient meanings and uses attached to gemstones.

As the years went on I have sold them in every country I have lived in, Spain, New Zealand and Australia as I traveled and moved around the world. I have had other jobs, lots of them but I have always gone back to making my trees, it makes me feel good and gives me a sense of purpose. The shape I make is quite distinctive and it all comes back to that wooden spoon and my Mum.  Every country that I have made trees in, has made me search for local bases to put the trees on and I have to say that here in the South Island of NZ we have the best selection of bases that I have ever found. They come from the wild West Coast and amazing rivers of the South Island and they never cease to amaze me with the variety and beauty.

In the last decade we have been raising  our daughter in beautiful Nelson and I have been on the Nelson Market for the last several years, its a great community and I am so proud to be part of it. My business has been a beautiful thing, making gmetrees that people like, making families happy with family trees, having fun at the market. I also have about 10 outlets around New Zealand selling the Paua shell and Greenstone range that I developed. I have been approached by businesses that have gemtrees from overseas and they rather stock the ones I make which makes me feel honored.

Now the curve ball of Covid has hit us all. So in this time of lockdown I have taken to this website and done my best to still offer my gemtrees to you all. So here I am, twisting my trees, gluing stones, caring for my family, grateful for all I have and listening to Jacinda and morphing my business for the future. I’m so proud to call myself a Kiwi and so blessed that my father moved us here in 1980 and gave me a craft and put me in the best place on earth. Thank you Mum and Dad xx