Below are some wonderful examples of traditional carvings from a variety of New Zealand artists...
The rugged West Coast is the home of New Zealands sacred Pounamu (nephrite jade) where it is found as boulders in the high mountain streams.
Are Jade, Pounamu and Greenstone the same thing?
The short answer is no.
New Zealand jade is Nephrite Jade which has inclusions of other minerals giving it the interesting color.
Jade or Greenstone are common names for the jade used to carve Maori designs. These terms include jade sourced from New Zealand and also imported stone from places like Australia or Canada. New Zealand jade is sometimes hard to get so it is common for stock or cheaper carvings to be carved from a mixture of local and imported stone.
Marsden Flower Jade Hei Matau Fish Hook Pendant
This pendant (above) is carved from New Zealand Marsden Flower Jade. It was carved in Invercargill at the bottom of the south island of New Zealand. It was carved by Nathan Jerry.
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