This set is part of a much larger project. My wife Roz has created her first book, a childrens book called Sand in my toes salt in my nose. It is about a classic kiwi beach holiday. As a part of the project I have created a set of pounamu representing core elements of each…
This is a spectacular pounamu and a spectacular set of carvings for this whanau. It is made from inganga pounamu from the Arahura river. It has chatoyant or pipiwhirauroa characteristics which can make it shimmer in the light. It is named for the long tail feathers of the pipiwhirauroa. First steps were choosing the slices…
Having two pendants carved from the same piece of pounamu is special. It connects the wearers in a tangible way that fits perfectly with the commitments made at a wedding. This set is made from high quality deep green kawa kawa pounamu from the Arahura River. It is joy to carve and work with. The…
Pounamu is often used as a way of connecting with Aotearoa and with home. That is what this set is about. This is a double koru that goes across all three pieces. It represents the different paths we take and how they all lead to or start from the same center, home. Pounamu from Aotearoa…
This set of toki is made for two siblings, to have a tangible connection with each other as well as their home. It is precious to be able to see a snapshot of the process of shaping pounamu from its rough form through to the taonga that it will be for many years to come.
I named this set Mauri for all the story it has to tell. Mauri is the word for life force or our vital essence. This set does capture the mauri of the couple that is made for. This set was made for a Mother and Father, from their 5 adult children. It all starts with…
This is a large set for an extended whanau, mums, dads, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, uncles, aunties, young and old. The pieces of pounamu we started with made their final forms obvious as roimata and tear drops. I decided to keep the similarity of form as a source of connection as well as the fact…
This is a set made for the 5 children. 3 kohine and 2 tama. The three roimata are for the kohine/girls, and the two toki are for the tama/boys, who are actually twins. What I didn’t know when I started this set was that the twins had not been born yet! Originally these were going…
This is a set for a whanau of three, Mum, Dad, and Son. Each piece came from the same piece of pounamu, they lay side by side connected until the recent carving process. This is how they started out as rough blanks, chosen specifically for this set, all from the same piece. Each pendant has…
This set is for a husband and wife. It is to connect them with each other and with their three children. They are carved from the same slice of pounamu. They lay side by side, literally connected, for a very long time until they were separated for this set. The three spiraling korus on each…