Known as tangiwai to the Maori, meaning tear-water, bowenite is a stone most often associated with funereal jewellery in Maori tradition. However, many Maori communities actually prized it even more than nephrite jade for its uses in jewellery. Most commonly possessing green and blue hues, very few realize that it also comes in white; or in the startling mix of white and green patterns seen in this piece.
 
Measuring in at 85mm long and 40mm wide at its widest point, this stone sports the pattern known as brecciation: a shattering of the original green bowenite deep within the earth, followed by its subsequent gluing back together with seams of white bowenite into this astoundingly patterned stone, which over millions of years has then risen to the surface to show us all its inner glory. In this case, the white bowenite vastly predominates, leaving only scattered shards of green spread throughout the piece: an effect that strikingly augments its beauty and makes it a real show-stopper.
 
Additionally, this piece presents a vein of silvery-white chatoyancy, which catches the light and creates a bright, moving river across the frontal surface of the piece.