Pounamu Pendant - Koru

Traditional Maori designs handcrafted from beautifully polished New Zealand Pounamu, (Greenstone, or New Zealand Jade) New Zealand's most treasured precious stone.

Because this is a natural product, precise colour tones may vary a little from that pictured.

Koru
The Koru design represents the fern frond as it opens bringing new life and purity to the world. It heralds new beginnings of peace, tranquillity, growth and harmony for its wearer.
Our Koru is handcrafted from Kahurangi Pounamu a highly translucent, lightish green stone, free from dark spots or any flaws. It is highly prized and one of the rarest varieties of Pounamu.
Measures 28mm (1 inch) in diameter.

About Pounamu (New Zealand greenstone)
Pounamu is a highly prized hard nephrite jade found in New Zealand. It is composed of chlorite and epidote which makes the stone a mid-to-dark green colour and is considered New Zealand's most treasured precious stone.
Greenstone rocks are generally found in rivers. They appear as nondescript boulders and stones and are difficult to identify without cutting them open. The mining of pounamu is closely controlled.
The Maori call the South Island of New Zealand Te Wai Pounamu, meaning "The Land of Greenstone Water". Pounamu is highly valued by the MÔori and is considered a taonga or treasure, and so is protected under the Treaty of Waitangi.
Pounamu is a very hard stone and must be worked with care and patience. Traditionally it was used as an alternative to iron in axes and similar hand tools. The MÔori club, the mere, was often made of pounamu. Because of its beauty and value it was also turned into beautiful jewellery in traditional Maori designs. Pounamu artefacts were often given as gifts to seal important agreements. Today, diamond tools are often used to carve it and Pounamu jewellery is very popular among New Zealanders who see it as somewhat iconic of the country.