Hand carved Bone, Jade, Wood & Pearl shell pendants, carvings, gifts & art
from New Zealand & the Pacific

The Great New Zealand Kauri

Kauri Gum
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New Zealand Amber (Kauri gum) which is now becoming very rare is found only in the upper North Island of New Zealand and nowhere else in the world. We deal with baltic amber (or copal).

Amber, or Kauri gum as it is known locally is a resin which bleeds from the mighty Kauri tree (Agathis Australias) to seal a wound when a branch is damaged or broken. As the tree sheds its bark these lumps of hardened resin fall to the ground and become buried under hundreds of years of forest litter where they continue to hardened and develop their wonderful colouring.

It was extensively dug by both the indigenous Maori and European settlers in the early 1900's for use in the production of high quality varnishes and other flooring materials and in many respects its high value made these "Gum Digs" the equivalent of the early gold rushes in other parts of the country.

At the same time the Kauri itself was being felled and milled in vast quantities for its huge logs (often weighing hundreds of tons each) and the quality of its richly coloured and easily work timber. The Kauri is now protected and treasured as part of New Zealands heritage. Many young Kauri are now being planted around the country but they are very slow growing taking around 2000 years to reach full size and the Amber they produce requires many hundreds if not thousands of years to form.

The only amber to be found now is what was overlooked in the early days of "Gum Digging" so it is quickly becoming a very rare and valuable "gift from the gods"

Kauri Tree

Tane Mahuta - Lord of the Forest

 

Kauri Amber Carvings by Feature Artist Lilach Paul