New Zealand

In the 1860s alluvial gold was discovered in the South Island of New Zealand and this lead to the first wave of large-scale European immigration. The main areas of discovery were the West Coast of the South Island and Central Otago, the City of Dunedin was founded on the wealth created by the Otago goldfields.  By coincidence, greenstone (nephrite) long treasured by the Indigenous Maori (as Pounamu) was also prevalent in these same areas. The miners looking for gold in the rivers would uncover fine specimens of greenstone. It became popular to take the greenstone and shape it into various pieces of jewellery particularly crosses, hearts, fob chains and brooches and then add gold decoration, particularly of a Maori or New Zealand theme.