Aroha Roimata
Symbolic gestures have a unique way of adding profound depth to significant milestones. Aroha Roimata, a meticulously crafted pounamu pendant, serves as an eloquent illustration of this idea. This striking piece, a large roimata fashioned from Kawakawa pounamu from the Arahura River, tells a deeply personal story.
As she stands at the threshold of her 50th year, the Aroha Roimata finds a deserving home with a woman of strength, loyalty, nurturing, and wisdom. She’s a healer, a mother, a wife, and an aspiring teacher. The roimata shape was chosen specifically to honour her multifaceted persona and her journey.
The Aroha Roimata is more than a piece of jewellery; it’s a narrative encapsulated in greenstone. The roimata, denoting strength, loyalty, teaching, and support, reflects her spirit. The twist at the top signifies the unity between her and her husband, symbolizing their shared journey. Individual korus representing their sons, each unique as the sons themselves, are carved into the Roimata. At the pendant’s base, a double koru marks their twins, embodying growth, new beginnings, and familial bond.
The images provided eloquently chart the transformation of the Kawakawa pounamu into the Aroha Roimata. Beginning with the initial design and raw stone, we witness the evolution through the precision cutting of the roimata shape, the meticulous smoothing of its edges, and the thoughtful carving of each unique koru. The creation of the symbolic twist marks the union of lives, and the process concludes with a final sanding that perfects every detail. Each photograph offers a glimpse into the process that gave life to this extraordinary pendant.
The Aroha Roimata is a vivid narrative etched in pounamu, an object that beautifully mirrors the recipient’s life and roles. As she steps into her 50th year, this pendant serves as a powerful testament to the love that binds her family together, symbolizing her journey as a wife, mother, healer, and teacher.
