Ōnewa — Working the Stone

Honed, never polished

The blade is ground against river sandstone until the basalt reads as a soft tactile sheen — worked, not lacquered.

Lashed, not glued

The head is bound to the haft with muka flax cord, wound in even courses so the join tightens as it dries.

Greenstone reserved for the rare

Pounamu edges the few tools meant to outlast their maker — colour kept scarce, set against the grey.

Weight you trust in the hand

A finished toki sits dense and balanced — the heft tells the carver the stone is sound before the first cut.

This is the Māori Volcanic Stone design system, applied by Curio Design — a design-style library for AI agents. Full Māori Volcanic Stone guide → designbycurio.com/learn/maori-basalt-pounamu-stone

Four marks of a finished toki