Did you know that the West Coast holds what is perhaps New Zealand's most amazing natural wonder? 

The Goodletite form of Ruby Rock^®, named after Mr William Goodlet, who brought the stone to the attention of professors at Otago University, is New Zealand’s only precious stone and cannot be found anywhere in the world other than in Westland, New Zealand.

After its discovery, which caused a mini ruby rush in Westland at the time, its fame quickly slipped back into the historical textbooks.

In the early 1990’s Gerry Commandeur, a Dutch born master gem cutter, was introduced to this extraordinary stone. Gerry immediately saw the potential and began to develop techniques to transform this otherwise ordinary-looking stone into something quite exquisite.

Goodletite contains real Ruby/Sapphire and Tourmaline crystals in emerald green mother rock, Fuchsite. It displays a wealth of rich colours, with a pink to purplish-red and blue core contrasting with its emerald green mantle, that make it desirable for its beauty as well as its rarity. Rarer than diamond, no one has located the exact source of Goodletite in the Southern Alps, which only makes this discovery more exciting.

Gerry and his wife Corrie moved to Hokitika and began to market Goodletite under the name of Ruby Rock^® in 1998. Several years of hard work and public education is beginning to produce a thriving tourist destination. Visitors from all corners of the world have come to the Ruby Rock Gallery to see for themselves the beautiful stones and jewellery. The stone has finally been given due credit and has been featured by the scientific Journal of Petrology, The Journal of Gemology in Great Britain and more recently by the highly acclaimed Gemstones of the World reference book.

The West Coast of the South Island has become a popular tourist destination in recent years. Showcasing New Zealand’s famous glaciers, historic Shantytown and New Zealand Ruby Rock, the region is known for its relaxed pace and natural rugged beauty.