James grew up within the realms of jade. His mother worked with Mountain Jade for over a decade, bestowing a passion and love for the stone onto her son.

"James says that family is a precious taonga (treasure) much like jade is, and bringing these two things together has been an incredible thing."

A deep sense of heritage

James is constantly humbled to learn a significant part of his culture and heritage through carving jade. As they say, Maori people didn’t have a written language, they would instead utilise carvings to remind themselves of their past, learning and to pass their stories and heritage onto the future generations. James is most passionate when it comes to the traditional meanings behind the designs and the stone, strongly believing that it brings people together globally. It is found around the world and so many cultures have seen it as an important element in their culture and identity.

VIEW JAMES' COLLECTION