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Story: Pounamu – jade or greenstone

A pounamu tree

Image
A pounamu tree

Modern tools have extended the types of designs that can be made using pounamu. Here the rind of the pounamu is left on, to form the leaves of a tree, and the pounamu itself is carved into branches.

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by Simon Nathan

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How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Pounamu – jade or greenstone – Modern stone work, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/9324/a-pounamu-tree (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 2 March 2009.