Custom Jewelry by Traveling Artist from Colombia

During my “where-the-hell-am-I” trips up and down Arequipa, I made friends with a traveling maker of custom jewelry from Colombia. With a bag full of various minerals and interesting rocks, Sebastian used copper wires to turn them into personalized jewelry.

When I first came across him, he was quickly attracted by my collar with large tooth from sea wolf adorned by three Amazonites, and I was interested in the large collection of crude rocks he was displaying on the street. Even though my personal collection of gemstones is already pretty large, Sebastian seemed to have some I’ve never seen before. A red tinged one was particularly of allure to me.

The rock, as he explained to me, is from the nearby Colca Canyon and is called “Coltacana“. Even though I knew precious nothing about said stone, I liked its looks enough to hire him to make me a collar from it according to my needs.

Photo: Coltacana Stone in Personalized Necklace
Photo: Coltacana Stone in Personalized Necklace

I took my new custom jewelry with me home to cleanse it with Palo Santo in order to remove the energy of other people who may have touched it from it, and since then, could not seem to part with it.

To my surprise however, I could not find any kind of mention of anything by the name of “Coltacana” anywhere on the internet. I got along really well with Sebastian, and came to hang out with him every day of my stay in Arequipa, so after not being able to find any kind of backinfo about the rock, I told him about it, so he suggested to look for its alternative name of “Jaspe Sangre Toro” (Jasper Bull Blood). That however lead to little success looking anything relevant up as well.

Photo: Hanging Out with Sebastian, Fellow from Amazonia in Ecuador and a Girl in Arequipa
Photo: Hanging Out with Sebastian, Fellow from Amazonia in Ecuador and a Girl in Arequipa

Doesn’t matter. I like the rock and like my new jewelry, and the artist who made it for me is now my good friend. Here’s a video of Sebastian making the Coltacana necklace:

Of course, I could not stop at that, and on one of the next days, I paid Sebastian to make me another custom necklace, this time from a beautiful sparkling gemstone named “La Piedra de Luna” (the moonstone).

Photo: Rare Moonstone Crystal from India
Photo: Rare Moonstone Crystal from India

The gemstone is iridescent and white with velvety parts within it. The stone however takes a beautiful blue tint when reflecting the sun – a property that gets it its name, as its whitish blue shine resembles the moon’s glow.

Unlike the Coltacana jewelry, which used string as a necklace, the necklace for this one was made from copper, just as the frame holding it.

Photo: Final Jewelry Featuring Moonstone
Photo: Final Jewelry Featuring Moonstone

I was told, that ti some countries, the moonstone is also known as “stone of mother earth” because of its positive effects on women at the time of childbirth, and its beneficial properties for fertility. Many years ago, it was also known as “traveler’s stone” because it was used as an amulet for people who were going on a trip.

The video of Sebastian making me the Moonstone jewelry:

I think that should I meet the right woman, the moonstone jewelry will go to her. But for now, it stays with me. I cleared it off negative energies as well, and had another necklace to rotate my existing ones with.

Photo: Native Fellow from Whom I Bought Large Piece of Coltacana Rock
Photo: Native Fellow from Whom I Bought Large Piece of Coltacana Rock