Twenty Years Together — A Pikorua Carved from Family Jade

I carved this pikorua for a wife to give her husband on their upcoming 20th wedding anniversary. Made from jade passed down from his grandmother and held in the family for generations, it brings their marriage and his family history together in one taonga.

The design follows the shape of a pendant he wore in the past. Returning to that familiar form gives this piece another personal connection, while the family jade makes it something distinct in its own right. It carries the history of the material into a new chapter, ready to be worn and passed on again.

The pikorua, or twist, represents connection and the joining of lives. Its intertwined form is a fitting way to acknowledge twenty years of marriage: two people sharing a life, growing as individuals, and remaining connected through the changes along the way.

For this couple, that meaning extends beyond their relationship. The jade connects him with his grandmother and the generations who have cared for it. His wife’s gift adds their own story to that history, marking twenty years together through a material that already belongs to the whānau.

It meant a lot to work with jade carrying this kind of family connection. My part was to give it a form that honours both a familiar taonga from his past and the relationship this anniversary celebrates.