A fantastic Kouma (Breastplate) handcrafted from an amazing piece of Inanga Flower Greenstone, the beautiful soft graduating green really make this piece pop and the Koru in this carving makes it extra special and will be a treasured taonga.
Breastplate- signifies strength and protection in battle. Today they still hold this symbolism but more as a representative scale.
Koru- The Maori word for bright or loop. It refers to the shoots of the silver fern. The circular movement to the inner core refers to "going back to the beginnings". The unfurling frond itself is symbolic for new life, new beginnings, hope, personal growth, purity nurturing, a new phase in life, the spirit of rejuvenation and peace.
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.
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 Josh Manning
Size 44mm Long x 74mm Wide
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.
