A gorgeous, perfectly balanced Manaia Breastplate, expertly handcrafted from a gorgeous piece of Kahurangi Flower Pounamu. This Manaia is unique and with a red wax eye will make a truly fabulous taonga for a love one.
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.
Kouma - Breastplate- signifies strength and protection in battle. Today they still hold this symbolism but more as a representative scale.
Kahurangi- Genuine West Coast Greenstone from the Marsden, West Coast area .
Kahurangi is the rarest variety of pounamu. It is highly translucent and often comes in vivid shades of green. Small, feather-like markings in the stone can give a cloud effect – although to be classed as Kahurangi, this effect must not reduce the stone’s clarity. The word Kahurangi also indicates nobility and refers to precious jewels and held in high esteem by Māori .
Putiputi (Flower) Jade- is New Zealand’s most prized 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 Des Hetherington
Size 61mm long x 89mm wide x 7mm thick
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.
