Pounamu - Greenstone - JadeAll jade/greenstone/pounamu used for the carvings on our site comes from the rivers & mountains on the West Coast of the South Island. Jade is a very hard stone. There is a hardness scale for stone from 1 to 10 -1 being soft e.g. soapstone and 10 being extremely hard e.g. diamond. Nephrite Jade is rated at just under 8. Although the stone is hard, it is also very dense and therefore does not absorb shock very well. A carving will not break with every day use, but may break if dropped onto a hard surface. The more you wear your Jade pendant, the more beautiful it becomes. When the body oils are absorbed into the pendants, they are then regarded as treasures, inseparable from the owner. The shine is from the body oils and constant palm and finger caresses. It has been said, that the oils from the human body add to the stone's lustre. It is best to keep a Greenstone pendant in a leather pouch, if not worn, you can add a touch of oil to the pouch to keep the stone's gloss. Traditionally, Greenstone pendants were worn close around the neck, just resting between the collar bones, either on a waxed plaited cord or leather cord. For meanings of Maori symbols, please
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