Reclaimed Yew Pikorua Twist Bookmark – New Zealand Pāua Shell
A handmade yew wood bookmark featuring a Pikorua twist, combining natural reclaimed timber with a New Zealand Pāua shell bead.
The bookmark is cut into a simple trapezoid shape and laser printed with the Pikorua-inspired twist design. The timber comes from a mixed offcuts box purchased from a woodturner’s mill, giving a beautiful piece of yew that might otherwise have been discarded a second life.
The Pikorua
The Pikorua, or twist, has become a recognisable form in contemporary Māori jewellery and artwork. Its intertwined form is commonly associated with connection, relationships, shared journeys and the paths that bring people together.
The twisting pathway can be viewed as a visual representation of lives crossing, separating and coming together again — making it a particularly fitting symbol for a bookmark that travels alongside you through different stories and journeys.
This bookmark is my own contemporary interpretation inspired by the Pikorua form, rather than a traditional Māori-made taonga.
Natural Materials
The bookmark is finished with a waxed polyester tassel, incorporating a genuine New Zealand Pāua shell bead. Pāua is renowned for its naturally iridescent blue, green and purple colouring, with every shell displaying its own unique pattern.
The combination of reclaimed yew, Pāua shell and the flowing Pikorua design brings together materials and symbolism connected with nature, journey, connection and storytelling.
Made from Reclaimed Timber
The yew used for this bookmark came from a woodturner’s mill offcuts box. Using reclaimed and leftover timber is an important part of my studio practice, allowing smaller or awkward pieces of beautiful wood to become useful objects rather than going to waste.
Natural yew varies considerably in colour and grain, so each bookmark will have its own individual character.
Details
• Reclaimed yew wood • Trapezoid bookmark shape • Laser-printed Pikorua-inspired twist design • Waxed polyester tassel • Genuine New Zealand Pāua shell bead • Handmade and individually finished • Made using reclaimed woodturner’s mill offcuts
A small, tactile piece of natural wood, New Zealand-inspired symbolism and storytelling, made to accompany whatever book you’re currently travelling through.
