A Museum for the Mineral Kingdom - Waimea Weekly Article 23.7.25

This is an article originally published in the Waimea Weekly newspaper on 23rd July 2025. Words and photo by Anne Hardie. Link to digital article on Nelson App here.

Photo of Amanda Sears by Anne Hardie

Every room in Amanda Sears’ house has minerals of various colours, shape and form, from crystals to rocks, and she wants even more to create a museum for others to learn about the history of the earth beneath their feet.

Her goal is a museum and library where people can learn about the “mineral kingdom” as well as ethical and sustainable ways of sourcing specimens, with a shop alongside so people can buy rocks or crystals to take home.

Remembering back, it was a rock hunting day with her father when she was 10 that ignited her interest, with the discovery of a “beautiful agate” that he cut and polished for her.

Over the years she has added to her collection, but it was only a few months ago, as she began buying crystals with her two-year-old daughter, that it became somewhat of an obsession (passion).

As she reached out to other people interested in minerals some gifted their collections to her, and then her auntie closed a crystal shop and she purchased the stock.

Her house and garage now have thousands of labelled minerals from around the globe, with great chunks of crystals to tiny fragments of minerals and stones from the Gobi Desert.

She is now sourcing microminerals, tiny crystalline specimens often viewed under magnification, which is “like looking into another world”.

That has led to her coining the word “mineralscape” to describe the vast world of minerals viewed under a microscope.

“It’s the history of earth and that’s why I’m doing it. The mineral kingdom isn’t something people focus on that much, but they’re the building blocks, the foundation of the planet. All minerals tell a story and some speak as a crystal, a rock or a mountain.”

Crystals are the best-known minerals, and though they are pretty, Amanda says they are also ancient and have much more to tell, along with all the other minerals.

“If you want to know crystals you have to know minerals, and if you want to know minerals you have to know geology. I’m interested in it all – geology, minerals, crystals, science, energy and metaphysics, as well as the story and the legacy.”

Now she needs to find a space for her burgeoning collection, with a name already chosen to house it all – Solaria.

“I want to create a space where people can go and touch minerals and learn about them, as well as workshops where we can share this with everyone. A place where people can explore all aspects of minerals.”

Amanda says people often have collections and equipment sitting in their cupboards that could be brought out to be part of the museum and library.

They can email her at hello@searsco.nz