Another of New Zealand's interesting jewellery-worthy stones, argillite is a silky material that carves like a ceramic and develops a surface texture like the finest sanded porcelain. Riverton is particularly known for its greenish hues of this material - which is also found in dark grey and black tones in other regions of the West Coast. This example of the stone has been carved into the form of a plecoid scale - a type of scale seen under a microscope on the skins of certain types of shark.
 
Measuring in at 61mm long and 45mm wide, the hollowed form of this plecoid scale makes a pendant that despite its size is remarkably lightweight. A form that is visully striking yet rarely seen, it's sure to get people asking questions - and for the answer to those questions to impress, since most people don't even know that sharks have scales!