Pounamu New Zealand Jade
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New Zealand Jade, is always known by its Maori name, Pounamu which means greenstone. The West Cost of the South Island is the heart of Pounamu country. Long revered as a taonga (treasure) by Maori (New Zealand’s first people, who arrived here over a thousand years ago), Pounamu is now appreciated and sought after in New Zealand and around the world.
Pounamu is found in and around the rivers of the West Coast where Maori searched for it and carved it into intricate, beautiful and culturally significant decorations and weapons. The great Maori legends feature in traditional Pounamu jewelry, often given as a gift to love and protect the wearer.
I love it so much I’ve had New Zealand Jade inlays built into my fishing rods by a leading New Zealand jade carver, Bevan Climo whose art work features in collections around the world, and has been worn by NZ’s flag-bearer athletes at Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
Bevan describes Pounamu as ‘a gift from the heavens, handed to me from my Tipuna (ancestors)’. He adds, ‘I trust the warmth and Aroha (love) given to each piece I create is also felt from deep within yourself (should you purchase my works)’.
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