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Story: Pounamu – jade or greenstone

Varieties of pounamu

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Varieties of pounamu

These sawn pounamu boulders illustrate how the appearance of pounamu can vary from one stone to the next.

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Private collection

by Simon Nathan

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

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How to cite this page

Basil Keane, Pounamu – jade or greenstone – The origins of pounamu, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/9358/varieties-of-pounamu (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Basil Keane, published 2 March 2009.