Blending cultures is an awesome thing. It can be difficult to honor and respect the two sides of who you are or where you come from and where you are now. This is one way it can be done. The five spear heads down the middle traditionally symbolise strength, prosperity, and providing for family. In…
Windows allow you to see into or out of something. When you carve ‘windows’ into a piece of pounamu it can allow you to see what is on the inside of the stone.
To me this set is everything that whanau should be. It is connection. It is values. It is tangible representation of the loving bond that a cohesive whanau has. This is a set full of meaning and depth. It was commissioned by the Mum who has recently received a terminal cancer diagnosis! Devastating! She wanted…
This is a set that I was honored to be asked to make, to be able to contribute to this whanau journey in a small way means a lot to me. This is a set for a Mother and her two young boys. The way she put it got straight to the core of why…
This set was made for two friends of ours to celebrate and recognise their wedding day. They are both lovers of the outdoors, the forests, the mountains, the rivers and the beaches. This set is made from one piece of pounamu to symbolise a view that is special to them across a bay of a…
Pounamu is a connector, it connects us with the things in our lives that we value, often they are people or places. It can connect us with our Turangawaewae, our place that we connect most strongly with, our place to stand. This set does both. Koru represent significant people in their life, the two pendants…
This is a hoi a made for a previous colleague that has just left the school we worked at together. The hoi is very appropriate and symbolic for the campus he worked at. They use a metaphor of paddling in a waka in how the staff work together as well as for the learning journey…
This piece is a pendant that symbolises a journey of growth and healing. It is a beautiful thing to hear that someone is proud to be who they are and that they are caring for themselves as the owner of this will be. This is a gorgeous bright green pounamu with chatoyant fibres in it…
This is a special set commissioned for a son on his 21st originally as just a toki. Mana is power, Whanau is family, and Tahi is one or unity in this case. The name of the set means powerful and strong family connection. The original idea was a toki for the son something to bless…
This toki is for a much loved man in a family. It was designed with mana and power in mind. The Lions head is to symbolise fearlessness, and urge to protect, loyalty, and leadership. It also connects this man with his home country, Sri Lanka, and so connects where he is from and where he…
