This Pre-Columbian Greenstone Axe God Figure is a quite subtly stunning piece of history. The simple form of an Axe God pendant is a celt, which is an ungrooved axe. But they were not made from working celts, they were made only to resemble celts. Axe gods have been found at the neck and chest level of male, female, and child burials indicating they were worn as necklaces and as pendants. The people who owned them were members of wealthy and powerful families. The axe image relates symbolically to wood clearing tools. So it's possible that the owners of the best examples may have been heavily involved either politically or religiously in agricultural activities. Greenstone is a common term for valuable, green-hued minerals and metamorphosed igneous rocks and stones which early cultures used in the fashioning of hard-stone carvings such as jewelry, beads, statuettes, ritual tools, and various other artifacts. Greenstone artifacts may be made of Greenschist, Serpentine, Chrysoprase, Olivine, and Nephrite, among other green-hued minerals. The term also includes Jade and Jadeite, whose greenish hue generally derives from the presence of minerals such as Chlorite, Hornblende, or Epidote. Follow the link in our profile to shop this piece! #precolumbian #precolumbianjewelry #greenstone #carvedgreenstone #axegod #antique #greenschist #serpentine #olivine #jade #wearablehistory #rarejewelry #handcarved #fashion #style #pendant shop #nyc #unionsquare #beadsofparadise (at Beads of Paradise NYC) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7JvZxCh4Mn/?igshid=1992dz2xrnkbu