Hei Matau Tahi – Fish Hook Pounamu Pendant

Yes this is my first Hei Matau I have carved.  It took me a long time to work out the lashing and how to shape the stone to take the lashing in a way that I was confident it would be secure.  I am pretty happy with this.

The lashing is a bit different to most that I saw or tried to learn from.  I saw many examples that I felt were pretty poor to be honest.  I really wanted a way to do this lashing without a hole which is what this is.  The difference is that it is kind of upside down, so when you tie the lashing you wind up towards the neck cord rather than away from.

I have now worked out how to do the more common lashing but it does require a hole.  Watch this space.

I used some mouldable plastic when I was trying to work out the shape the stone needed to be and so I could test out my ideas on the lashing.

It Works!

I tested it well before putting in the effort to clean it up with sanding and polishing.