An emerging community project in Tasman, Aotearoa New Zealand
Lyall Collection
The Lyall Collection is a deeply personal archive of rocks and fossils gathered over fifty years ago and carefully preserved within a local family. Passed down with care and intention, many specimens remain in their original labelled wrappings — some predating modern plastic materials. This collection speaks to an era of attentive collecting, quiet curiosity, and long-term guardianship, offering a tangible link between generations of Earth observers.
About The Lyall Collection
The Lyall Collection is a small legacy assemblage of rocks and fossils, comprising approximately 36 specimens, with origins estimated to be 40–50 years old or more. It was gifted to Amanda for Solaria in October 2025 by the son of Sheila Lyall, who inherited the collection following her passing in 2003.
The specimens arrived housed in an old cherry box, many carefully wrapped in cellophane and in containers — a quiet indication of long-held care, despite the collection being stored for many years. Sheila's son recalls that his mother was herself gifted the collection by an older gentleman, though the details of its earliest provenance have been lost to time.
The collection is comprised of various mineral specimens and a few fossils mainly from New Zealand and the United Kingdom plus a container of flint stones from Belgium. Most specimens were labelled, though some labels appear to be inaccurate or incomplete and are currently under review, with several pieces awaiting formal identification.
Sheila's son had held onto the stones for many years knowing they were special, but unsure where they truly belonged but her decided Solaria was the right place after seeing an article in the local newspaper. Today, the collection is preserved as a modest yet meaningful example of mineral inheritance — a reminder that even the smallest collections carry stories, memory, and quiet continuity across generations.
