Our Stones
The majority of the stones we carve are collected by hand from the rugged beaches of the West Coast, while the remainder are sourced from unique locations throughout the South Island.
A vivid pink stone with highlights of white, brown, and occasionally purple, rhodonite is formed from manganese silicate and is usually found with a black ‘rind’ of pyrolusite. Its colour can range from light candyfloss pink to garnet red, and its soft, feminine hues balance the strong forms of our carvings. We gather for our pink rhodonite by hand just south of Dunedin and it is the only stone from the east coast that we work with.
Pink rhodonite is associated with the heart chakra and provides emotional healing, energetic grounding and the restoration of balance by unblocking the throat and heart chakras.
A rich and varied stone, serpentinite is one of three pounamu stones used in traditional carving, and one of the most recognisable. A metamorphic stone formed from antigorite, lizardite and chrysotile, this wide mix of minerals produce a stone of immense complexity, and individual pieces can contain colours ranging from deep moss green to aquatic blue, with gold, orange, and brown highlights.
A healing stone, serpentinite replenishes and restores energies within the body and creates a protective field around its wearer. Sometimes porous, serpentinite can absorb oils from your skin and its colour may deepen over time - this should not be seen as a flaw but as part of the stone’s natural evolution with its wearer.
An incredibly rare stone, aotea comes from a single river in Westland - the only place in the world where it can be found. Comprised of fuchsite, kyanite, and quartz, aotea is also known as bluestone due to its brilliant hues that can range from icy blue to deep turquoise. Softer than pounamu, aotea is generally regarded as a feminine stone, and frequently contains a gem-like glitter due to the mica contained within the quartz.
A grounding stone, aotea activates the heart and throat chakras and is said to release the inner goddess of its wearer.
A beautiful variety of schist that can be found in many regions throughout New Zealand, Aroha, or Piemontite schist, is known for its pink and purple tones that can range from soft and dusty to deep and vibrant. This stone is named after the Māori word for love, an apt title given its romantic colouration and the shimmer caused by the mica found within the stone. We source our aroha from throughout Otago and along the West Coast.
Possibly the most distinctive variety of pounamu, nephrite jade used to be more commonly known as greenstone. Although it appears all over the world, in New Zealand nephrite can only be found on the West Coast of Te Wai Pounamu (South Island) – the island that carries its name. Considered a taonga (treasure) nephrite is highly valued for its luminous green hue that carries in it the colour of the forests and rivers where it lives. The appearance and colour of nephrite can vary widely between smooth and uniform, or complex and multi-faceted with highlights of black, white, yellow and gold.
Nephrite jade possesses revitalising energy and has been used by cultures all over the world to speed healing and bring balance to body and mind.
An opaque stone with a matte finish, jasper is a variety of chalcedony that can appear in a number of colours, though it is most often red, brown or purple. We frequently work with a type of jasper known as dalmatian jasper due to its spotted appearance. A unique presentation of the stone, our jasper is collected from the creek on our family land and thus carries extra significance for us as carvers.
A healing stone, jasper is considered a powerful protection aid and one that confers grounding, stability and strength upon its wearer.
