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Mere Pounamu - Te Papa Replica

The stone was carefully chosen and cut using diamond saws to slice through the boulder. We needed a big slab of New Zealand Pounamu to carve this 50cm long Mere which, is a replica of a Te Papa piece. After the slab had been cut, the silhouette of the Mere is sketched onto the stone and excess material is cut away. Once the general outline of the piece has been cut from the slab, the artist can get started on carving the Mere. After the handle has been carved, the Mere is finally put on a pounam...

Carving Workshop with Te Ika Whenua Hauora Inc

Over a few days we taught a group of rangatahi, tane and wahine, to carve their own pounamu toki and roimata, this workshop was facilitated by Te Ika Whenua Hauora Inc. We were incredibly proud of everyone as they created beautiful taonga,  each piece representing its maker through the shape. Once all taonga were finished and the bindings were done our rangatahi blessed them in the sacred waters of the Waiora Stream. ...

All Blacks World Cup Toki

We custom made these Toki for the All Blacks RWC Squad.Te Toki Awhiorangi is an adze, one of the most sacred possessions of the Maori people. It is said Te Āwhiorangi to have been used by the god Tānemahuta to cut the sinews that bound Ranginui (the sky) and Papatūānuku (the earth) which brought light into the world. To Maori and other cultures, Te Āwhiorangi became a symbol of mana for all Toki ever made. The Toki originated from the toki poutangata which was a war adze, though it was rar...

Jade/Pounamu/Greenstone - what is the difference?

Jade/Pounamu/GreenstoneThese three words we often hear being used in reference to that beautiful stone we treasure and value so much, and we get often asked 'what is the actual difference?'. The three words, to an extend mean the same thing, however there is a difference in intention when we use the word pounamu.Nephrite jade is the word used around the world as Nephrite jade is found not only in New Zealand but also Canada, Siberia, Australia and many other countries. It refers to the mineral c...

Jacinda Ardern's Bangle

Jade is not only worn for the beauty that it exudes, but its belief that it would protect the wearer from evil. It is also believed that the more pure/translucent the Jade Bangle is, the more prosperous ones life and the life of their family will become. The process of finding the right bangle for you can be a tough task, but here at Puawai Jade we believe that Jade, will choose you! So once you find a connection with one, then that piece yours! Well lets hope that it fits, as getting them on is...

Stone Cutting process.

The average time to cut a single slab of NZ Jade is 6 hours and is cut with diamond impregnated blades or tools.To cut jade stone, diamond impregnated tools are used as diamond is one of the hardest minerals on the planet. NZ pounamu, which is nephrite jade, is rated a 6.5 on the mohs scale, with diamonds being a 10, making diamond the faster and better mineral to use to carve our beautiful stone. What was used to carve NZ greenstone before diamond impregnated tools?Before the use of diamon...