tama: NZ greenstone - nothing available at present... - Tiki Marketplace

T Tamapoutini Member Aotearoa (New Zealand) Joined: Aug 30, 2006 Posts: 1530	T Tamapoutini Posted posted on Tue, May 22, 2007 6:07 PM The next piece I have to offer is smaller but very special and requires a little explaination: It is a pendant fashioned from a good quality, naturally-shaped NZ pounamu/greenstone/nephrite jade beachpebble; a rare & beautiful thing in itself; but there's more!... The insised groove in this piece was created using 'pre-contact'/neolithic Maori technique. In other words; I very carefully carved this with STONE tools!! (see pic) This 'scarfed' detail is a very (time-consuming!) crisp 'V'-cut & is used here in a contemporary/aesthetic sense. The neolithic Maori used this technique to divide/saw-through cobbles of the steel-hard stone, pounamu. They would saw from each side until the cuts were almost through & then snap!; A task sometimes requiring weeks or months of labour! The toggle was produced in this way & was also made from a naturally-occuring pebble. Admittedly, I created the suspension hole with modern tools, but have also emulated the 'hourglass' effect that the original drilling tool (tuwhiri) produced. SORRY, SOLD: Many thanks Queen Kamehameha!! SORRY, SOLD. I have only ever made a few pieces in this manner (one of which won a top carving prize) & they are very close to my heart. Although this is appears a rather simple piece it was a labour of love & I believe its' 'hidden' specialness makes it all the more appealing. I have left the pebble unaltered apart from the carved detail & the natural/tumbled, as-found finish of the stone remains as testament to jades' unique hardness/lustre. SORRY SOLD: Many thanks Queen Kamehameha!! Tama :) [ Edited by: Tamapoutini 2007-06-01 02:55 ]

The next piece I have to offer is smaller but very special and requires a little explaination: It is a pendant fashioned from a good quality, naturally-shaped NZ pounamu/greenstone/nephrite jade beachpebble; a rare & beautiful thing in itself; but there's more!... The insised groove in this piece was created using 'pre-contact'/neolithic Maori technique. In other words; I very carefully carved this with STONE tools!! (see pic) This 'scarfed' detail is a very (time-consuming!) crisp 'V'-cut & is used here in a contemporary/aesthetic sense. The neolithic Maori used this technique to divide/saw-through cobbles of the steel-hard stone, pounamu. They would saw from each side until the cuts were almost through & then snap!; A task sometimes requiring weeks or months of labour!
The toggle was produced in this way & was also made from a naturally-occuring pebble. Admittedly, I created the suspension hole with modern tools, but have also emulated the 'hourglass' effect that the original drilling tool (tuwhiri) produced.

SORRY, SOLD: Many thanks Queen Kamehameha!!

SORRY, SOLD.

I have only ever made a few pieces in this manner (one of which won a top carving prize) & they are very close to my heart. Although this is appears a rather simple piece it was a labour of love & I believe its' 'hidden' specialness makes it all the more appealing. I have left the pebble unaltered apart from the carved detail & the natural/tumbled, as-found finish of the stone remains as testament to jades' unique hardness/lustre.

SORRY SOLD: Many thanks Queen Kamehameha!!

Tama :)

[ Edited by: Tamapoutini 2007-06-01 02:55 ]

Post #308266 by Tamapoutini on Tue, May 22, 2007 6:07 PM