Jade Gallery Hawaii is proud to introduce an original, high-quality jade sculpture of the endangered Hawaiian Sea Turtle, at a reasonable price.

This carving of a baby Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, created in Hawaii in painstaking, precise anatomical detail, is a joy to hold. The head is held slightly up, with a warm, curious expression.

We selected lovely, light-sea-green jade from China, and engraved a Chinese character -- Fu for "Abundance" -- carefully on the reverse side.

For 100 million years, sea turtles have ruled the oceans; they are among the planet's oldest inhabitants.

The Hawaiian people respected the honu as a symbol of creation, wisdom and longevity. On the Big Island of Hawaii, the legendary turtle named Kauila was said to be able to change herself instantly into human form.

Now an endangered species, the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) ranges for up to 800 miles across the Pacific. They take 25 years to mature, and live up to 70 years of age. Baby sea turtles are about the same size as our jade sculpture, when they hatch and dig themselves out of the sand, working as a team with their brothers and sisters.

The adult averages nearly four feet across and weighs 200 pounds; some grow to six feet across. When they are resting, they can remain underwater for 2-1/2 hours, but need to surface to breathe every few minutes when swimming. The female lays up to 100 eggs every two to three years.

To help protect sea turtles in Hawaii, Malama Na Honu ("Protect the Turtles") was established. A non-profit organization supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the North Shore Chamber of Commerce and the Hawaii Tourist Authority. Contact: http://malamanahonu.org

To help in this important cause, a portion of the proceeds from sales of the jade sea turtle will be donated to Malama Ma Honu.