An exquisite Manaia (guardian) handcrafted from the most an incredible piece of Kawakawa Flower Jade and presented on a forged steel stand. The clarity of this stone is amazing and enhanced with the flower jade embellishing its body. A very special Taonga with the incorporation of the Koru at the base.
The Manaia is a mythological creature in Māori culture, and is a common motif in Māori carving and jewellery. The Manaia is usually depicted as having the head of a bird and the tail of a fish and the body of a man, though it is sometimes depicted as a bird, a serpent, or a human figure in profile. The Manaia is traditionally believed to be the messenger between the earthly world of mortals and the domain of the spirits, and its symbol is used as a guardian against evil.
Koru - The Māori word for bright or loop. It refers to the shoots of the silver fern. The circular movement to the inner core refers to "going back to the beginnings". The unfurling frond itself is symbolic for new life, new beginnings, hope, personal growth, purity nurturing, a new phase in life, the spirit of rejuvenation and peace.
Genuine West Coast Greenstone – Kawakawa. A dark rich green with varying intermediate shades, named after the leaf of the Kawakawa. It is the main type used in gem purposes.The most prized Greenstone in New Zealand is flower
jade, Greenstone with pale green or ochre clouds of colour. This distinctive patterning and colouring comes from the outside rim or 'rind' of the greenstone boulders or stones where the surface has oxidised.
