This stunning Hei Matau (Hook) carved from Marsden Flower Pounamu is a wonderful example of the carver's skill. The ridge line running from the top of the hook to the point is perfectly placed to show the stone falling to darker stone on one side and lighter stone on the other - an amazing taonga.
Hei Matau(Fishhook) - Originally Maori have been fishermen. Their main food source was the sea, so a fishhook of high quality was a very valuable item to own. The hook became a symbol of prosperity, abundance, good health, power, authority and respect for the sea and its life in it. They also provide good luck and safety while traveling across water.
Marsden 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 Kurtis Bell
Size 71mm Long x 38mm wide x 5.5mm 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.
