Ross is one of New Zealand's best known and highly skilled master carvers working jade and Pounamu or greenstone (New Zealand Jade).  His work simply must be seen to be believed and features the most extraordinary fine detail.

Ross and his small team of jade carvers specialise in small pendant pieces with complex twists and koru creating incredibly unique forms.

Ross now repeats some of these designs however the colour, pattern and texture of the special jades from which each is carved makes the pieces incredibly unique.

Tim Steel is an international award-winning artist carving in a contemporary-traditional style. He was raised in the coastal town of Pukerua Bay and is of Pakeha and Ngai Tahu/Kati Mamoe descent.

From his studio space in Waipawa, Tim creates small sculptures and jewellery from hard stone and specializes in Pounamu and Onewa. His inspiration is derived from taonga/artifacts, natural and urban aesthetics of Aotearoa.

Ana Krakosky creates intricate hand carved Pounamu jewellery.

"As a member of Te Atiawa, legend has it that my people are descended from the sky. I try to remember this in my work; to craft for great worth, make everything well, see unlimited potential, make good choices, challenge myself and love what I do.

I’m an artist with a background in design and education. I’m continually drawn towards learning and mastering new techniques as architecture and design is a real passion. I’m a visual person so the proportions or lines seen in good architecture or design are a real draw for me. I’m a furniture maker, product designer, painter, metalsmith and jade carver. My work as a whole tells a story about the journey of mastering the use of different mediums.

I try to create pieces that speak to others about the beauty in life and the world around us. My work is a reflection of my life in a moment past, a snapshot of the present and/or a snippet of the future. It speaks not only for me, but for all those who have gone before me and those who will come after me. I love working with the strength of pounamu and the feel of it between my fingers as I shape and mold it into something someone will treasure and value."

Deane Moreton learnt his craft whilst working alongside his father in the family Pounamu/Greenstone business.

With over 30 years’ experience in sourcing and handcrafting New Zealand Pounamu.

Deane is now one of New Zealand’s leading experts in the industry, his designs are the perfect blend of tradition and contemporary inspired by Aotearoa’s rich culture and natural beauty.

I am of Maori descent from the tribe Ngati Kahungunu o Te Wairoa, Aotearoa New Zealand, and of European descent from England, Scotland and Ireland.  

I was raised in New Zealand and for a time in China. It was while I was in China that my love of creating began in soft stone carving. I carved small intricate things with basic tools, files and small chisels.  At the age of 12 I was inspired by the jade creations of the world and the jade creations of my Maori ancestors. 

That early inspiration has given rise to my life’s passion of jade; sourcing jade, exploring jade, creating in jade and in other mediums. Sands Carving Studio is the culmination of my passion.

Kia Ora I am Raegan Willis/Bregmen. Ko Ngai Tahu Te iwi. I am born and bred from small Māori town on the west coast of the north island called Otaki. I have always been surrounded and inspired by Māori culture and Māori arts. I studied Jade and hardstone for two years at Tai Poutini Polytechnic and have a diploma in Jade carving. It is now not just my passion but also my way of supporting my whanau and having an impact of the Māori art culture. The mauri of pounamu and its intention is who I am today.

Luke Gardiner has always called the West Coast home and his connection to the land is shown in each of his carvings.  As a self-taught artist, Luke finds his inspiration from the beauty in nature and has been carving from this ‘source’ for over ten years.  An essential part of his process is to assess each piece of pounamu and let the spirit and energy of the stone form the design.  Luke prefers to use greenstone that is flawless, translucent and of exceptional quality, a tribute to his deep love of Pounamu and the spiritual energy it holds.

Luke’s carvings and sculptures are of the highest quality and his reputation for exquisite craftmanship, and incredible finishing ensure that you are buying a taonga that is precious and worthy of being passed on to future generations.

Luke’s carvings and sculptures are of the highest quality and his reputation for exquisite craftmanship, and incredible finishing ensure that you are buying a taonga that is precious and worthy of being passed on to future generations.

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā karangatanga maha - Tēnā koutou katoa.

Ko Rueben Tipene tōku ingoa, he uri au nō ngā iwi o Ngāpuhi me Ngai Tahu

hoki.

Greetings

My name is Rueben Tipene, I’m a descendant of the Ngāpuhi and Ngaitahu

tribes.

I was brought up with my Maori heritage and always enjoyed “Ngā Mahi Toi”

Maori arts. From a young age I would always be drawing. One particular day

a Maori carver notice some of my drawings and said to me, “If you can draw,

you can carve” From that point on I would look for anything to carve, from

native wood scrounged from demolition sites, to shells out of the sea, lime

stone from a hillside or bone from the butcher.

I have carved and painted murals, carved Waharoa “Gateway” Tekoteko

“Māori Figures” Māori weapons and many other decorative Māori implements

and objects, however l now earn a modest living carving Pounamu

“Greenstone” and Pākohe “Argilite”

I manage my own carving studio from home and provide both locally and

internationally.

Fumio is a Japanese Bone Carver who has lived and worked  in Nelson since 2000.  Born in Japan in 1964 he worked as a journalist before immigrating to New Zealand in 1999. 

Fumio studied under Dave Paki in Christchurch and produces contemporary style Maori Bone Carving. Fumio also  carves taditional Japanese pieces Netsuke (miniature sculptures worn on Kimono). Some of his works combine Moari and Japanese influences making them truely unique

My journey with pounamu- a gift from papatuanuku mother earth and my ancestors I'm privilege to walk this path and connect people with our gifts. I put my heart and soul into my taonga and enjoy everyday I work with pounamu. Everything is made with aroha and care,  I hope to show case my culture to the world thank you for reading my story nga mihi 

My whakapapa 

Kai tahu 

Waitaha me Kai mamoe nga iwi

Kati ruahikihiki me Kati iruketu o te Wai pounamu 

Ngati toa 

Ngati raukawa me te ati awa nga iwi 

Hapu Kaitangata o te waka o maui

Sheree is originally from Auckland however her search for contentment in the mid 1990's led her to traveling New Zealand. Sheree fell in love with the rugged charm of the West coast of the South Island. Whilst walking the beaches she found a small piece of pounamu, and soon realised that she had found what she was looking for. A medium of which she felt at one with and challenged her well beyond any other. 

Sheree focuses her time towards the more complex designs and commission pieces. In her words,” Each piece of stone I work, deserves huge respect no matter what type it is. Created over thousands, sometimes millions of years far beyond our life span, as a carver I recognise that once I work the stone, I become part of its journey and evolution through time. What I create will survive well beyond me and everyone else that joins the journey of owning one of my pieces. I feel so privileged to be able to express myself through stone".

Mapp began carving with whale ivory, whale bone and cow bone in 1969. He became the first contemporary professional bone carver in New Zealand. 

His first exhibition was at Wellington's Bett-Duncan Gallery in 1972. At this time he also became involved with the New Zealand chapter of the World Craft Council (later the Craft Council of New Zealand) and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts which helped him promote his work and through which he also organised workshops to demonstrate bone carving.

In 1990, he received a QEII Arts Council (now Creative New Zealand) study grant and established a connection with Japanese netsuke carvers. He continues to exhibit in Japan and his work has been acquired by the Japanese royal family.

For  more than 30 years Ian has been acclaimed worldwide for his work in sculpting Pounamu into sought after Jewellery and collectors pieces.  Ians works reflect the unspoilt reaches of New Zealands West Coast. 

Luke Leaf spent the first eighteen years of his life growing up in Ross/Hokitika on the West coast of the South Island New Zealand, the home of New Zealand Greenstone.   Luke is a leading artist in contemporary Jade carving, his style is an amalgamation of traditional and modern design, finding inspiration from natural organic forms.

Since an early age Luke has had a strong interest in many forms of art. His first introduction to Jade Carving was through work experience at High School, where he developed a strong connection to the art.  

Upon leaving high school, Luke worked for a number of jade carving businesses where he sharpened and perfected his skills.  

Luke has been working from his Queenstown based studio where he has designed and produced thousands of unique and exquisite works that have sold all over the world.  

At the age 5 Robert Singer found his first piece of jade, since then the stone has been “in his blood”, a fascination, something to reflect upon.

"Jade was plentiful in this area at the time, and the young man quickly discovered within himself a spirit of creativity"

Robert expresses his love & respect of nature and all things outdoors through his art.  With Scrimshaw and Etching being the trademarks that Robert creates with his Pounamu carvings.  Quite often you will see deer, Kea, Piwakawaka, Kiwi and the native New Zealand Silver Fern feature in his designs.

Having spent most of my working life in Fiordland as a commercial fisherman, helicopter shooter, and meat hunter, I eventually retired and needed a challenge and something to keep me busy. My wife Debbie and I started collecting some stones from the beaches close to where we live and started polishing them and making a few pendants. When I was about 70 year old I eventually acquired some Pounamu and started carving this amazing stone.

I have made all my own gear, which isn't perfect, but does the job, and i find there is nothing more enjoyable than cutting some new stone and seeing what is inside it and getting it ready to work.

Paul has been carving pounamu for the last 30 years, taking pleasure in his work. Paul started carving with bone in Dunedin, then travelled to Christchurch to study under a Master Carver where he learnt the Maori designs and meanings of each of the carvings he was creating.

Paul now lives in Greymouth and has a workshop where he carves with his son’s Mark and Shane.

Shaun is a young artist with extraordinary talent and design flair.  It is difficult to ascribe a style to Shaun’s' carving.  The craftsmanship is superb, and he finishes each piece so that it glows. They are beautiful to hold - every one of them. He has a strong connection to traditional designs, but always adds something special that makes every piece exceptional.

Joe was born and raised in Dunedin and has always been highly creative with his hands. Once he moved to Christchurch and started carving, he took to it like a duck to water.

He is being taught the ways of carving from Deane Moreton who has been in the Greenstone industry for 40 years.

Joe takes pride in his work and has been carving for a few years now. His inspiration comes from the many talented New Zealand artists and he is excited about his future in carving. Joe looks forward to his journey carving beautiful greenstone pieces and developing his skills in this field.

Graeme has had a passion for carving and the arts since a schoolboy in Dunedin, following his passion he trained for several years in Hokitika and worked alongside other great carvers.

Now Graeme lives in Christchurch with his family and works in his home-based workshop where he still loves carving older and more contemporary designs.

Hailing from Hamilton and of Ngāti Raukawa descent Conrad has always been drawn to natural New Zealand materials. Starting out as a native timber cabinet maker, Conrad progressed to teaching himself the process of carving Kauri Copal, wood, bone, and stone, from there he formed his own carving studio. Drawing inspiration from the beauty of nature, it is evident that Conrad has a strong and respectful connection to the native materials he works with and his skill and attention to detail is sublime

Kaleb’s first started out creating knives with metal which then evolved into using Pounamu/greenstone for the handles. Deane Moreton then took him under his wing to teach him more of the traditional Māori designs. Kaleb is now appreciating the finer aspects of carving and enjoys creating pieces for our Moko Pounamu site.

Peter is New Zealand born, of European-Maori-Pitcairn Island descent.

Bone Carving is a traditional Maori craft and it is on this culture that most of his designs are based. Fishing forms an important part of Maori culture and this is reflected in his carvings -  depicting dolphins, whales tails and fishooks. The frond of the fern (koru), plentuful in New Zealand, forms a key element in many traditional Maori designs.

Peter was educated in Wellington, where his love of tech drawing greatly influenced his art skills in his early years. A builder by trade Peter has utilised his artistic talents to create high quality bovine and whalebone pendants. His work has beatured in Galleries and Museums across New Zeland for over 30 years.

Living in the heart of Marsden pounamu country, Jayme is extremely lucky to have the New River running through his land. His passion lies with creating pieces that step away from the traditional, yet still retain a sense of appreciation and respect for the forms of our ancestors.

Trent is a young Pounamu carver based in Tauranga, he is a keen hunter who loves to hike and be in nature. Trent finds inspiration in New Zealands Flora and Forna. Trent began his carving career in the medium of Bone, he moved quickly to Pouanmu and has been creating  Taonga for over 3 years. Trent is mostly self taught, he has a deep appreciation and respect for many different materials. We are proud to be working with Trent.

Anaru Anderson is a young Pounamu carver, working on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island. Anaru  is of  Ngati Porou whakapapa . He's had an interest in Pounamu and carving from an early age, having been encouraged and taught by his father, an established carver in his own right. Anaru enjoys carving in a variety of styles and is committed to honing his ability and learning his craft. We are proud to have him on the team.

Originally from Nelson with a background in visual arts and metalsmithing, Andy moved to the West Coast in 2001 to pursue a career in jade/pounamu carving. His work is inspired by the wild natural beauty of our local landscape and the rich cultural legacy of the early Maori artists who utilised this rare & challenging material, and valued it above all other things. He has maternal whakapapa (genealogy) to the deep-Southern iwi of Ngai Tahu/Kati Mamoe, and considers his work to be a continuation of an ancient family tradition.

Des Hetherington’s interest and affinity with New Zealand Greenstone (Pounamu) was ignited when visiting Karamea on the West Coast of the South Island and he encountered an ancient Pounamu adze.  This was the start of his lifelong journey of discovery into NZ Greenstone.

Luckily for Des his family moved to the West Coast amongst the source of pounamu, and he began his learning of the many different forms of carvings and the different types of pounamu. The Kokopu, Inanga, Kahurangi and Marsden Flower jade varieties hold a special place for Des. It was in the early seventies and being very, highly creative, Des was encouraged into the art of carving the stone he so loved.

Des’s interest and knowledge of Maori carvings has grown over the years and recently Des has had the honour and good fortune of being mentored in the intricacies of wood carving by a Māori master carver. This additional knowledge has infused his primarily one-off designs with a new purity and spirit.

Mark studied wood carving at Dunedin Polytech and has since moved to carving Greenstone alongside his Father, who has taught him the ways of greenstone. Mark is a talented designer and likes to keep to the traditional Maori designs and meanings.  

Mark now lives in Greymouth with his wife and children and sees carving as a lifelong journey of discovery.

Shane starting carving greenstone alongside his Father Paul, who has taught him the skills and craftsmanship to create specialised larger carvings, such as Mere and Adze’s and one-off sculptures.

Shane is very conscientious about the finer details in any design that he is working and likes to ensure that the piece is finished perfectly.

Shane has a love for both traditional and contemporary tattoos which provides inspiration for his Pounamu carvings.

Donna studied at the prestigious Whitecliff College of Arts and Design, winning the Eden Arts Art School competition in her final year. Donna is half Filipino and half NZ-European, and grew up in Northland where she was taught that pounamu is a precious taonga passed down through generations.