In pre-european times Greenstone was the preferred material for tools, weapons and personal ornamentation (rings, earrings, pendants, etc). It is still widely used for personal ornamentation and Greenstone toki (Adzes) are sold to any tourists who have more money than sense.
In modern-day New Zealand the wearing of Greenstone pendants is typically a sign that the wearer is of Maori extraction or identifies with the Maori cause.
see: http://www.greenstone.org/
Green"stone` (gr&emac;n"st&omac;n`), n. [So called from a tinge of green in the color.] Geol.
A name formerly applied rather loosely to certain dark-colored igneous rocks, including diorite, diabase, etc.
© Webster 1913.
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