NZ GREENSTONE JADE BOUND MAORI CARVED FACE HEI MATAU

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TOTALLY UNIQUE WEARABLE ART PIECE - NEW ZEALAND MAORI BOUND CARVED FACE HEI MATAU FISH HOOK by New Zealand Maori master carver Nathan Jerry. THIS IS A MASTERPIECE CARVING carved from 100% ONE OF KIND MARSDEN RAUKARAKA FLOWER JADE - best of best stone that New Zealand has to offer. Rarest of rare nephrite - vibrant EMERALD, BLUE AND PASTEL LEAF GREEN WITH AMAZING SHADES AND PATTERNING OF BRIGHT GOLD AND RED GOLD - shown to maximum advantage in this exceptional and one off Hei Matau hook with an ancestor/deity face carved into both sides - finished with a SATIN TACTILE glow. Guaranteed genuine New Zealand pounamu jade from the South Island. Hand carved by Nathan, it measures 3" long by 1.5" at the widest part with a sculptural depth of 8mms and beautifully bevelled edges - it is EXPERTLY bound and suspended on a natural hand braided strong flax adjustable waxed cord. One of the most beautiful and striking Hei Matau I have ever seen! The Hei Matau is the legendary fish hook with which Maori demi god Maui is said to have pulled the North Island of New Zealand from the South Island and represents triumph and prosperity. Nathan is of Tainui Maori descent and is a trained Tohunga Whakairo (Maori carver). The carvings I offer are priced incredibly reasonably for genuine artist carved NZ POUNAMU which will soon become impossible to obtain. I am a fair trade seller and pay the carvers what they deserve. All my pendants are blessed in the Maori tradition. All my photos are taken outside in natural light - no digital enhancement - no photoshopping - what you see is what you get! Pounamu is found only in the South Island of New Zealand. Because of this, the island was originally named Te Wāhi Pounamu (the place of pounamu), but over time this name changed to Te Wai Pounamu (the greenstone waters). No other jade should be classified as pounamu as it is a Maori name for the stone. - there are ten main types of pounamu: Arahura - a dark velvet green Inanga - pale blue or green - can be opaque or translucent Totoweka - a rare type - streaked or spotted with red Kahotea - dark green with darker inclusions Kawakawa - rich leaf green sometimes with dark freckling Kohuwai - a misty grey blue with vivid bright green - like moss in a stream. Kokopu - sometimes called troutstone - silver or golden green with brown freckling Kahurangi - emerald clear green sometimes with white feathering - highly prized Raukaraka - called Flower Jade - varied greens with gold/orange blooms Tangiwai - bowenite - found only in certain areas of Aotearoa NZ - dark blue/green - exceptional translucence. You are welcome at my auctions - please read my 100% feedback and know you are buying ONE OF A KIND CARVINGS BY NATIVE NEW ZEALAND ARTISTS exactly as described and pictured. DON'T SETTLE FOR VERY INFERIOR TOURIST MASS PRODUCED SOUVENIRS - many of the low priced so called "Maori" jade carvings you see on eBay at the moment are not carved in New Zealand and not New Zealand jade. New Zealand gold Māori valued pounamu in the same way Europeans valued gold. Around the 1870s, Te Otatu from Coromandel remarked: ‘Let the gold be worked by the white men. It was not a thing known to our ancestors. My only treasure is the pounamu.’ (Kati ano taku taonga nui i te pounamu.) 1 The main deposits used by Māori are in the districts around the Taramakau and Arahura rivers in Westland, coastal south Westland and the Lake Wakatipu area in Otago. In addition, there is a significant field of bowenite in Milford Sound (Piopiotahi). Traditionally, the pounamu in the Arahura River has been most important for Poutini Ngāi Tahu (Ngāi Tahu people on the West Coast), with the junction of this river and Waitaiki (Olderog) Stream being particularly important. COMBINED LOW COST SHIPPING WORLDWIDE I will airmail ship as many items as you want for one flat fee of $10.00 Please note this is regular airmail shipping - no insurance or tracking - takes 7 - 14 days to reach you - please ask if you would like your purch... read more

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