This stunning Manaia (Guardian) pendant is hand carved from Kahotea Flower Pounamu, showing soft layered green tones with flowing Putiputi patterning across the stone. The form curves gracefully through the body, finishing in a beautifully spiraling tail that gives the piece movement and expression. Polished to a smooth sheen, it carries gentle depth, clarity, and the protective presence of the Manaia.
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.
Kahotea
– Pounamu from the Greenstone, West Coast area. A type streaked or flecked with white. The name Kahotea derives from Kaho, meaning light coloured tea (white or clear).
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.
Carved by Luke Gardiner
Size 79mm long x 58mm wide x 13mm 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.
