Jade from around world Jade is found in many countries around world but commercial quantities are found in only a few. On any field where jade is found, whether it is in New Zealand Canada or China, only 5% of all jade mined will be AAA grade or what we know as "jewelry grade jade" - stone that can be used for fine carving or jewelry. This grade of jade is translucent, has perfect clarity and no fractures.

Each region has its own highly prized stone. In Australia, we look for jade that is a deep black colour. In Canada, highly sought after stone has bright green flecks through it. The best quality Russian jade can be very white with a root beer colour rind, or a very pale almost teal colour.

New Zealand Carvings Pounamu has special significance for Maori. The Maori believe that Pounamu absorbs 'mana' or spiritual power of its wearer. The Maori also believe that a piece of Pounamu will always yearn to return to its source in rivers and mountains of New Zealand.

New Zealand jade carving is unique in its designs and forms. We owe this to Maori who have refined techniques of working with stone over a long period of time. We can trace their use of Pounamu back to twelfth century. Because of its extreme hardness, Pounamu was used by Maori for weapons and tools. It was also prized by Maori for ornaments - pendants and earrings.

Many of designs you see today are contemporary interpretations of traditional designs, which have been carved for centuries such as hei matua (fish hook), tiki (representing man) and manaia (serpent form).

It can be said that all jade carving has an organic dimension. New Zealand carving is dynamic and diverse - a fact evidenced by increasing numbers of new and talented sculptors and carvers, each creating their own unique designs from their own particular sources of inspiration, whether that be Maori, Pacific, Asian or Celtic.

The Process of Jade Carving Jade carving is a painstaking and exacting art form. A carver first needs to study stone to see where its strengths and beauty lie, in terms of colour, clarity and patterning. Some carvers call this "the heart of stone". The carver works to bring heart of stone to fore. To do this, a rough shape is first cut out on a diamond bladed trim saw. Pre-forming, grinding of edges of rough shape follows. A high-speed grinder then shapes piece into its final form. Still surface needs to be polished - through a series of increasing finer grades of sand paper until desired finish, from smooth and satin to a highly polished gloss, is achieved.

The holes in shell are for breathing and reproduction. Starfish are Paua's most formidable predator as they have learnt to suffocate Paua by putting their tentacles over breathing holes thus forcing paua to let go of rock.

Environmentally sound and sustainable management practices of paua fisheries are in place in New Zealand. There is a quota system, which is strictly enforced for gathering of paua by both commercial and individual fishermen. No compressed air diving is allowed in filling of these quotas. All paua gathered must be at least 125mm (5 inches) in size. There are stiff penalties for those caught removing undersize shells.

Cleaning Paua Shells Only some paua shells can have lime taken off without damaging shell. Some will be too thin and brittle and will crack once cleaning starts.

We have been asked on numerous occasions about cleaning shell using acid. Please note that we do not and will not ever use acid to clean our shells. We advise that you do not try this method.

In our factory we use diamond wheels to grind lime off. If you do not have access to a diamond wheel grinder then we advise a coarse grade of sand paper around 150 grit through to fine sandpaper of about 600 grit. Use a wet and dry paper with plenty of water this will help avoid any dust. This will leave a semi gloss finish. If a high gloss is preferred we recommend use of a buffing wheel with some form of rouge, this can be bought from a hardware store.

This whole process may take an hour or two for each shell and it will require plenty of elbow grease.