A stunning Kouma (Breastplate) handcrafted from beautiful Inanga Flower Pounamu. The diverse patterns and textures in the stone are incredible, very reminiscent of the dramatic West Coast landscapes. This will be a cherished Taonga that will carry on through the generations.
Kouma - Breastplate- signifies strength and protection in battle. Today they still hold this symbolism but more as a representative scale.
Inanga
– This pounamu takes its name from a freshwater fish native to New Zealand. It is pale and often transparent, like the young of the Inanga fish. It is pearly white to grey green in colour, and ranges from translucent to quite opaque. It can change colour over time, developing a light olive tint as it ages and oxidises - Highly prized by the Māori and the desired material for making Mere and Patu. Resembling the Southern New Zealand mountains, its --name translates to frosty, given as the intermediate of Inanga and Kawakawa.
Marsden Putiputi (Flower)
Pounamu from the Marsden, West Coast area. The centre of this stone is a highly translucent, light-ish green shade, free from dark spots and other flaws. One of the rarest varieties, held in high esteem by the Māori. The most prized Greenstone in New Zealand is Flower Jade, Greenstone with pale green or ochre clouds of colour. This distinctive patterning and colouring come from the outside rim or 'rind' of the greenstone boulders or stones where the surface has oxidised.
Hand Carved by Anthony Coakley
Size 44mm Long x 91mm Wide
This will be the exact piece you will receive in the photos, there may be a slight degree of colour variation based on different computer or device screen resolutions that you are viewing from.
