Pipiwharauroa pounamu ring

Pipiwharauroa, our beautiful Shining Cuckoo.  This chatoyant, striped pounamu is named after Pipiwharauroa’s striped belly markings.  Pipiwharauroa pounamu is a very rare find, especially in this stunning blue and silver.  And we found this one right here in our swimming hole, quite a special moment.

Pipiwharauroa are considered manu tohu tau, a bird that signals seasonal changes. The call of Pipiwharuauroa signals the coming of spring, as its distinctive repetitive voice echoes through the ngahere.  The sound of its call can foretell what the coming season will look like – if the cry consists of a repetition of the ‘Kui!’ note, then the coming season will not be a prolific one. If that cry is followed by the well known ‘Whitiwhiti ora’ then a fair and plentiful season lies ahead.

The pounamu in this ring is absolutely stunning.  It flickers and moves like a cats eye in the dark.  This is, in fact, what chatoyant means, ‘cats eye’.  So while you wear this beauty you will find it distracting, playing with it on your finger as you watch the pounamu move right before your eyes!  I patterned the ring band by hammering it against the Pipiwharauroa kohatu, so it carries the organic imprint of the parent stone.

An elegant, stunning and absolutely unique taonga.

Ka tangi te wharauroa, ko nga karere a Mahuru

If the shining cuckoo cries it is the messenger of Spring

• Pipiwharauroa pounamu from Te Tau Ihu and 925 Sterling Silver
• Size: R
• Ring surface 21mm diameter

💚Now every taonga you purchase helps us to carve a taonga for EVERY tamariki in care in Aotearoa. You can read more about our Tū Māia project here. Ngā mihi mahana for your support of this kaupapa!💚