You'll see many colourful pieces in my store featuring this 'stone' and it's no surprise to find out that these bright and bold colours aren't made in the natural world. It's an eco-friendly material thats becoming more popular with those who make jewellery, and this innovative approach of giving life to something destined as waste is a great story and one i'd like to share with you.
What is it?
Surfite is ultimately a resin by-product made during the creation of surfboards, which is usually discarded as waste. Resin is applied to seal a board toward the end of the process and any excess drips onto trays on the floor, this build up over time of different coloured resins creates wonderful little layers of colours. This would usually just be discarded as has no further use, but instead the resin can be repurposed by shaping and polishing into beautiful cabochons that can then be set into Jewellery.
Where do you get it from?
Surfite is produced in areas which surf board manufacturing is predominant. Surfite featured at Just Plain charming predominatly comes from California and Oregon, however some come more locally from the UK such as from the Gower. I get most of my surfite from a dedicated local supplier called Desert Creek Rocks who receives slabs of surfite. The process in brief is to cut into thin layers, find intricate patterns to use and cut into smaller pieces and then meticulously shape them into cabochons of different shapes and sizes. This is then followed up by much polishing to give them a great shine.
The pattern is often not revealed until the slab is cut into and every combination of resin layering is different. This means that no surfite pattern will ever be the same and every stone will be one-of-a-kind.
But it's man-made so why do you use it?
Well not only am I drawn in by the delightful array of colours you can find, but it's the element of sustainability I like the most. Being able to reduce waste and all while being able to create eco-friendly pieces of jewellery. I also use recycled silver throughout my work allowing some items to be exclusively made with recycled materials.
It's also more affordable than many stones as well as being durable in nature and this means I can create beautiful one of a kind jewellery that is sustainable, affordable and long lasting.
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