The Jade & Opal Factory is a pounamu and jade carving workshop at 32 Buckingham Street in Arrowtown. The website says the family has carved stone in Arrowtown since 1985, over three generations, and visitors can watch the master carver at work through the workshop window. The range covers pendants, sculptures and rings, each with a traditional design and its own meaning, such as the koru for growth and harmony, the toki for strength and resilience, and the hei matau for protection and prosperity. Pieces can be engraved with a name, kōrero or design. The website also sells online, with shipping and discount codes calculated at checkout.
Customers mention the large number of pounamu and jade pieces, and the raw stones for sale. Helpful staff come up most often. One family took their two children in, and each picked a greenstone necklace, then chose pieces for relatives, with advice along the way. Another reviewer says it was definitely worth spending a lot there. Our pick in Arrowtown for a greenstone pendant with a meaning.