Emma Cunningham - Silver Kawakawa Brooch

Kawakawa Leaf Brooch by Emma Cunningham. These little wearable works of art are made from vintage silverware which is then deconstructed, beaten, and rivoted. Each piece is handmade and no two are the same.

• The heart shaped Kawakawa leaves are an ever-present symbol throughout life: used in birthing and naming ceremonies and used to bless food, sacred ground and in tangi. 

• Māori parents would sometimes place a sprig of kawakawa under the bed as a fertility good luck charm! 

Emma Cunningham is an artist based in Whanganui, New Zealand. Emma draws inspiration from nature and is concerned with the preservation of it. Birds and animals appear in her work as signposts or messengers.