Pent 105

Pounamu Toki, genuine NZ stone found at West Coast of Te Wai Pounamu. A lovely New Zealand-made taonga.

Stunning Pounamu with inclusions. Small stone flaw at back.

Pounamu is the preferred Maori name for genuine NZ stone found at West Coast of Te Wai Pounamu. Pounamu is a general term to describe the various types of Nephrite Jade found in New Zealand. Greenstone term is also used but Pounamu is best to describe NZ stone. New Zealand Nephite is stunning and comes in many shades and combinations. Kawakawa, Kahurangi, Totoweka, Inanga, Flower Jade, Raukaraka and Kokopu are the main nephrite types. It is a beautiful stone, hard and very tough. It is a taonga and must be treated with respect . Tangiwai and Douglas Creek Stone are serpentinite type rocks, can be of a very beautiful translucent green and are also referred as pounamu by many. Other beautiful stones such Aroha Stone ( a schist) , Aotea Stones (a rare blue Kyanite ) are sometimes called Pounamu and many. Many shades of Serpentine rock can be found along beaches of Te Wai Pounamu. All these are beautiful stones but none have the toughness and hardness of the true Nephrite named above.

Nephrite Pounamu is a very tough metamorphic rock, and has an specific gravity between 2.9 and 3.1 . Tangiwai, Douglas Creek, Serpentine (Serp) all have SG under 2.9, usually around 2.6.

It takes a number of steps to create a piece. Finding ( or being found) a stone, slicing the boulder, cut basic shape, shaping to the desired design, then 3-4 sanding steps followed by polishing, buffing and finally fitting the cord. Top class and renowned carvers ( I am not one... yet) will spend hours and hours and aroha to create a taonga... The price asked often does not reflect the work done and the years of learning, practicing and refinement!!

68 mm long 35 mm base 28 mm top 18 mm at thickest

Black waxed cord with adjustable slip knot. Max length of cord - 410 mm max but you can adjust the slip knot to shorten.