A Snippet About Kilkenny Marble

Kilkenny marble heart pendant, Dubh Linn

Irish, Kilkenny marble is a black, carboniferous limestone laced with ancient fossils. Indigenous to Ireland, this stone has been mined in the midlands for centuries. Most commonly, it is used as a building material, but also for carving statues, mantle pieces, rosary beads, candlesticks etc, and today, a limited amount is used in Irish jewellery. It takes a high polish but is equally lovely left in a matte state.

 

Historically, there were several marble quarries in the Kilkenny region including Gallows Hill, Archers Grove, Black Quarry Hill and Butlers Grove outside Gowran. The latter is the only working quarry in the area that is mining Kilkenny black marble. A pure black version of the stone is found further West around Galway.

Kilkenny is known as The Marble City as many of the pavements (sidewalks), curbs and public buildings of the town feature this locally sourced, dark stone.  When it rains, the black footpaths glisten and reflect the street lights beautifully.

Daniel O'Connell's Monument

 In Dublin, it is famously incorporated into the burial site at Glasnevin cemetery of Daniel O'Connell, champion for Catholic rights,

Kilkenny marble earrings

I'm proud to include this Irish marble in my jewellery whenever I can get my hands on the rare beads. 

 

To read about Connemara marble Click HERE 
To read a snippet on Cork Red marble Click HERE

Romancing the Stone for an Irish Valentine

With less than a month to Valentine's Day, it's time to romance it up a bit. If you're looking for something from Ireland to win her heart, what could be better than a pendant, handmade with genuine Irish marble? 

Connemara marble heart pendant 'Loyalty'

Cork Red marble heart pendant 'Roisin'

Kilkenny marble heart pendant 'Dubh Linn'

All these heart pendants are handmade with love in Ireland. Please allow 5 to 10 working days for parcels to reach the US, Canada and Australia!.

Read more about Irish marble here:

Connemara marble

Cork Red marble

Kilkenny marble

Inspired by the Everyday Visual

Celtic symbols feature a lot in my jewellery designs. It's not just because I'm Irish and proud of my heritage. I reckon that these Celtic motifs embedded on a public street wall not far from my home have silently crept into my subconscious and out through my work. After all, artists are much inspired by what they see as well as what they feel. I have walked past this artwork at least a thousand times over. How could they not have influence my designs? 

                                                                                                                              

                              

                 
                         

A Little About Cork Red Marble

 

Ireland boasts a fair share of rare marbles. Cork red marble is a little less known in the jewellery world than the famous Connemara marble. This gorgeous, fiery stone is more often found in public buildings, and sometimes rosary beads, than in personal accessories. I am very proud to include this indigenous stone in my craft whenever I can get my hands on some beads. 

Cork red marble is mined in the South West of Ireland, in the region of Munster. Here's the science bit...It is a resedimented limestone, containing mollusks and other sea fossils suspended in red clay. It is thought these components were lifted from the ocean in turbulent storms and deposited on the land thousands of years ago.  Heat and pressure from rock and other deposits building up over centuries and centuries resulted in the formation of this hard marble known as Cork red.

The colour ranges in shade from a pale, pinkish coral tones to a deeper, or browner, brick red. The marbling is usually a pale, rose white-wash. Check out these images from the British Geological Survey. 

The paler varieties are often referred to as Rose Marble. The darker reds are not unlike red jasper in appearance but have distinctive marbling or patches. Historically, the stone was known as 'Rouge Royale.'

 

Famously it can be seen in the Chapel of St Patrick and the Saints of Ireland at Westminster Cathedral, London, alongside other Irish stones. (photo credit: Westminster Cathedral website)

Here in Dublin, the interior columns of John's Lane Church, Thomas St. are formed of Cork red marble.

If you are lucky owner of a piece of jewellery made of this rare stone, be careful how you treat it. It is a hard stone so shouldn't shatter as easily as some gemstones, but it wont take kindly to acids and chemical cleaners. Avoid ultra sonic cleaners too.

The kindest way to keep your Cork red marble and precious metal pieces looking well is to regularly use a silver polishing cloth on the metal and to store the piece wrapped in such a cloth or in an anti-tarnish box or baggie. Wipe any grime and residual perfumes cosmetics etc off the stone with a dry, lint free cloth or kitchen paper. An occasional wash in mild soapy water will keep silver or gold bright without damaging the marble. Pat the piece dry with kitchen paper and leave on a towel for a couple of hours at room temperature. Polish the metal parts with an appropriate cloth before storing.

Click for Rare Irish marble jewellery for sale on Etsy  

Click to see more posts about materials I use