Maori Spear Walrus Ivory Pendant

Jenny Byrne, Zealandia's lead designer, was born and raised in New Zealand and spent her formative years surrounded by Maori art and culture. This Maori spear walrus ivory pendant is a product of her early influences and of her admiration for the bold, graphic elements that characterize Maori design.

The image shown is of the carved ivory pendant's front and back view - both are beautifully detailed and feature fossilized walrus ivory in varying tones. Due to the organic nature of this material, no two walrus ivory pendant colorings will be identical, and your pendant colors will vary from the colors pictured here.

The arero, or pointed tongue, of this Maori spear design is hand caved from fossilized walrus ivory. This fossilized ivory is between 500 and some 3,000 years old, and it has spent much of its life buried underground where minerals color it the soft caramel to rich browns that are its signature. Native peoples gather the fossilized ivory after erosion or the tides unearths it, and it is prized the world over as a gorgeous focal point for carved ivory jewelry and other works of art.

The upoko, or head, of this Maori spear design features a mixed metal treatment of 14k gold fill and sterling silver, giving this piece an added richness and variegated interest.