A fantastic Manaia handcrafted from a wonderful piece of Kawakawa Pounamu. This is such a solid beautiful carving with incredible variation in colours and a gorgeous mother of pearl eye, this will be a fantastic taonga for someone special.
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.
Kawakawa- is the most common variety of Pounamu. It comes in many shades - from strong, rich green to dark green - and often has small dark flecks, which add to its character. Named after the leaf of the Kawakawa. It is the main type used for jewellery purposes.
Mother of pearl
– The iridescent inside lining of a mollusc shell, commonly found in oysters, freshwater mussels, and abalone (paua).It is strong, resilient, and very iridescent.This multicoloured iridescence is caused by the way the light reflects on the layers of the shell. A protection shell/stone that brings the gentle healing power of the sea to you.As a stress relieving stone, it brings relaxation and soothing to its wearer and the ability to calm emotion.Mother of Pearl also stimulates intuition, imagination, sensitivity, and adaptability.
Hand Carved by Marshall Johnson
Size 67mm long x 31mm wide x 8mm 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.
