Moko Pounamu Oval Brooch Pīpīwharauroa Inanga Greenstone and Sterling Silver - Hamurana

Inspired by New Zealand's rich culture, this stunning Brooch is simple in its design to highlight the incredible chatoyancy of the Pīpīwharauroa Inanga Pounamu with a silvery shimmering band through the centre.

Inanga- 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.

Pīpīwharauroa- This is a rare and unique type of stone usually found in the Inanga, Tangiwai, Kawakawa and Nelson Pounamu varieties. Named after the shining cuckoo, the green and white shimmering plumage are like the thin bands of light that cause a chatoyant effect like a cat’s eye as the stone is moved about.

Chatoyance is an optical phenomenon in which a band of reflected light, known as a "Cat's-Eye," moves just beneath the surface of a cabochon-cut. Chatoyance occurs in stones that contain many very thin parallel inclusions within the stone, known as a "silk." The light reflects from these inclusions to form a thin band across the surface of the stone. The band of light always occurs at right angles to the length of the parallel inclusions. These inclusions can be crystals, hollow tubes, or other linear structures that are present throughout the stone and are usually aligned with a crystallographic axis. Needle-like crystals of rutile and hematite are well-known for producing a cat's-eye in many specimens.

Size 46mm long x 32mm wide x 11mm

All pendants come supplied with a 45cm Stirling Silver chain.