Warwick Freeman (b. 1953) is regarded as one of the world’s most influential contemporary jewelry artists. His works tell of his life, culture, and history, as well as the history of…

Warwick Freeman (b. 1953) is regarded as one of the world’s most influential contemporary jewelry artists. His works tell of his life, culture, and history, as well as the history of Aotearoa/New Zealand and the country’s unique materials—millimeter-thick mother-of-pearl from the giant clam, the iridescent inner membrane of the pāua (a rainbow abalone), and the pounamu (a type of greenstone). Freeman—the Pākehā, as the Māori call descendants with European roots—has long been a mediator between the cultures. In the 1980s he co-revolutionized the world of New Zealand jewelry, which led to the creation of a unique artistic language. Freeman discovers forms, symbols, and images that connect Māori, Polynesian, and European civilizations through emblematic meanings that transcend their cultures—Hook. Hand. Heart. Star.