Jade Greenstone Fish Hook Pendant

Greenstone / Jade pendant, traditional Fish hook design. Available in 30mm & 40mm sizes. Comes with adjustable black cord and velvet pouch.

Measurements
30mm pendant, width 15mm (approx), lenght 30mm (approx).
40mm pendant, width 20mm (approx), lenght 40mm (approx).

Made in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Fish Hook - Hei Matau
This pendant is in the shape of a stylised Maori fish hook known as the hei-matau (pronounced hay-may-tow), matau meaning hook.

It is believed that the hei-matau and many other fish-like amulets, more common in the south, may have been worn as talismans during fishing expeditions.

Hei-matau styled jewelry is inspired by the traditional Maori art of New Zealand. Hei-matau, the Maori fishhook was carved traditionally in jade or bone in a variety of styles. Matau, meaning hook, was later work suspended by a cord from the neck as a pendant. For the indigenous people of New Zealand, the Hei-matau represents strength, determination, peace, prosperity and good health and also provides safe journey over water.

Greenstone

Greenstone is a term specific to New Zealand to describe Jade. There are two types of Jade, jadeite and nephrite. Nephrite is the only type to occur in New Zealand. Jade comes in a variety of colors, green being the most valued. Jade / Greenstone is a hard and tough stone. It has been illegal to export raw jade / greenstone from New Zealand since 1947 due to it's limited supply.

Pounamu is a Maori word which is used to describe jade / greenstone and also bowenite. The Maori classified pounamu according to colour and named many varieties. Pounamu is broken down into 4 types: kahurangi, kawakawa, inanga and tangiwai.

Kahurangi is the rarest form of pounamu / greenstone. It is a light green greenstone with light streaks which resemble clouds. It is free of any flaws and is very translucent.

Kawakawa has a strong green colour with varying shades throughout. It is named due to the fact that it resembles a leaf from the kawakawa / Lofty pepper tree.

Inanga which means whitebait is a pearl white grey/green coloured stone which is usually translucent.

Tangiwai (Bowenite) is a very translucent, olive-green to bluish-green type of serpentine, found mainly at the entrance to Milford Sound in the South Island. The word tangiwai came from the Maori legend relating to the petrification of the tears of a lamenting woman. Sometimes it is referred to as koko-tangiwai, koko meaning ear pendant, and this signifies its predominant use.

Early Maori discovered Pounamu's ability to retain a hard, sharp edge making it ideal as cutting tools. Maori made adzes (toki) and chisels (whao) from nephrite jade, they fitted the jade to wooden handles and lashed them together using flax cords.

Pounamu / greenstone / Jade will benefit from the addition of light, scented oil and if it is not being worn very regularly, is best stored in a felt or leather pouch. A very light smear of oil in the pouch will enhance the carved pounamu with a beautiful warm gloss.

Pounamu / greenstone / Jade was normally suspended from thin leather or plaited flax. It was traditional for a piece to be worn level with the cavity where the two collarbones meet above the chest.