Manawa Heart Pebble
This was a piece of pounamu that someone asked me to make into a pendant, and carve a heart in it too.

It started out pretty much as it was found on the beach.

This was a piece of pounamu that someone asked me to make into a pendant, and carve a heart in it too.
It started out pretty much as it was found on the beach.
Individually each of these pendants is called Ako, together as a set they are called Akonga. This Pounamu (also Jade, often called greenstone) is all sourced from the South Island of New Zealand. Ako is to learn, study, instruct, teach, advise. Akonga usually means student, however, in this context it is used as ‘a collection of…
This was a challenging commission. To make a pounamu pipe for a Grandfather. It is made from Pounamu found in the Kaniere stream area in the hills behind Hokitika. [kad_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNMJa0nTLCU” ] It started with the idea in clay. With four korus to represent members of his family. Seeing what a pounamu carving starts as,…
This is carved from a pale creamy piece of inanga jade. Here is the piece that I started with… This piece represents the flow of water. It has ups and downs like waves. Water takes the path of least resistance and this piece is about going with the flow.
This is a pounamu that is part of a larger set. The set was made for a childrens book that my wife created. There is one pounamu for each page of the book. The main page for this is called Sand in my toes salt in my nose and you can see all the artwork…
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 was an amazing set for a special person. The koru in this piece each represent members of the family, with the parents above looking over and protecting the children. The koru shape comes from unfurling fern fronds that are found all over the wilderness in the bush in Aotearoa. They represent, life, new beginnings,…