For Jess McCabe-Moran, jewellery is more than a family business.
It’s a passion, and not just for fine works of art - it’s also about history and heritage.
Jess, with her brother Justin McCabe, is co-owner of Gerard McCabe Jewellers.
The siblings have recently taken over the iconic Adelaide Arcade Rundle Mall business from their father Gerard, who is now semi-retired.
The business has just celebrated its 40th anniversary; a long history that has featured a strong partnership with the South Australian Museum built on a shared appreciation for history and the state’s rich mineral heritage.
While the family business is known for its antique and historically significant jewellery, its connection to minerology and collecting stretches back generations.
On a recent visit to the Museum, Jess (pictured above in the Museum Shop) said, “our grandfather was an opal cutter and Dad inherited the jewellery gene from him.
“Lots of amazing things find their way to us and Dad often sets them aside until he decides what to do with them.
“His passion has always been history and because of that, he has decided to donate many unique and historical pieces to South Australia’s state collection through the Museum.”
That fascination with gemstones, history and craftsmanship has shaped the business for decades, and has led to a close relationship with the Museum.
Among the most significant is the Firnhaber Brooch, a remarkable South Australian piece now held in the Museum’s collection and regularly worn by Governor Frances Adamson AC at official events.
The brooch features concentrically banded green malachite from Burra and gold sourced from the Adelaide Hills; materials deeply tied to South Australia’s early mining history.
The brooch is believed to have been made by Charles Edward Firnhaber (c1805–1880) in the 1860s, although there were other jewellers linked to the creation of malachite brooches in South Australia at the time –including Julius Schomburgk (1819–1893), Henry Steiner (1835–1914) and Joachim Matthias Wendt (1830–1917).
All the artists created brooches in similar styles and often worked with each other.
“Dad thought the brooch may be worth more to the community, rather than just going into a private collection,” Jess said.
The Museum’s Minerals Collection Manager, Kieran Meaney, said the piece remains an important example of South Australia’s craftsmanship and mining history.
“The craftsmanship is quite breathtaking,” Dr Meaney said.
“It’s the mark of a master craftsman, made from South Australian material when the mining industry here was still quite young.
“Gerard McCabe has donated many treasures to the Museum and he obviously cares very deeply about history, and we are incredibly grateful.”
The McCabe family migrated from Ireland in 1878 and opened a tailor shop.
Gerard and Pauline McCabe opened Gerard McCabe Jewellers in 1986, beginning a business that would become closely connected with the Museum’s Mineral Sciences Collection.
Over the years, Gerard has assisted with assessing and valuing important items within the collection, including the Museum’s famous Echunga diamonds.
While South Australia is not widely known for diamonds, there was a small and still largely unexplained source discovered in the goldfields at Echunga in the Adelaide Hills.
Fortunately, even though her Dad is pretty much retired, Jess expects the business’s success and its relationship with the Museum to both continue for a long time.
“Both Justin and I have two children,” she said. “They’re all still in primary school, so it’s probably too early to tell if they will continue in the family business, but they all show an interest in what we do.
“Justin and I were always welcome into the shop when we were young, to touch and feel and see what was happening. We try to keep that going with our kids.”
The South Australian Museum congratulates the McCabe family on their 40th milestone. When visiting the Museum, visitors can explore a display from Gerard McCabe Jewellers in the Museum Shop.
The South Australian Museum has an extensive Minerology Collection on display, including a selection of Burra malachite and an Echunga diamond located in the Minerals Gallery on Level 3.
