Pounamu, also known as New Zealand greenstone, holds immense cultural significance for the Maori people. It’s a vessel of stories, emotions, and traditions that span generations. The “Whānau Kotahi” set, which translates to “Unified Family”, is a beautiful embodiment of this sentiment. This particular set of four pendants, carved for a family of four –…
From the heart of South Westland, a distinct kawakawa pounamu, known for its enduring quality and beauty, was chosen. This greenstone, echoing the very essence of “Whānau Pūmanawa” or “Heart of the Family”, was skillfully crafted into a harmonious set of five pendants and a complementary pair of earrings, encapsulating the deep-rooted connections and stories…
In the realm of traditional carving, every piece has its own tale to tell, a story that interweaves art, symbolism, and deep-rooted culture. Today, I am excited to unveil two exquisite pieces from my collection, carefully hand-carved from a unique slice of pounamu, or New Zealand greenstone. Both hailing from the same stone, these two…
This was a find on a beach that a woman brought into me. She was interested to see if we could turn her surprise find into a taonga for her to wear. This gorgeous Roimata was the result. You can see the pounamu that we started with below. Things do not always turn out this…
Roimata are teardrop-shaped pounamu pendants that are carved with a variety of traditional designs. They are often given as gifts to represent love, strength, and protection. The roimata in this blog post are made from kawakawa pounamu, which is a rare and highly prized type of pounamu. They each have four dots down the middle,…
Each of these toki were crafted from the same exquisitely rare piece of Marsden Flower jade – Putiputi. This pounamu variety boasts a magnificent display of yellows and golds that frequently resemble the delicate petals of flowers or wispy clouds in the sky. Its elusive nature makes it highly coveted among discerning collectors and connoisseurs…
This exquisite pounamu set features three small toki pendants, each carved from the same bright green piece of pounamu. The set has been specially created to represent the connection between three members of a whanau, symbolizing the spiritual bond that ties them together. For the whanau who received this pounamu set, it holds immense significance…
This set was made for two people that were made for each other. A matching set that will be able to show the abstract concepts of love and connection and commitment that being wed to another is about. You can see in this image how they were sitting in the piece of pounamu before being…
Two pendants that have been connected side by side for a very long time. These two have patterning that flows from one to the other. This is a set to celebrate the formal connection of marriage for the husband and wife to always have a tangible symbol of their connectedness. You can see the patterning…
Gorgeous set of deep kawakawa pounamu. Toki and Pikorua. Here are some shots of the process. The finished set.