MOUNT VERNON – Borrowing designs from carvings of New Zealand natives, a Maine couple uses moose bones to produce hundreds of delicately cut pieces of art displayed on necklaces.

Working on pieces of leg bones they get from meat cutters in Livermore, Gerry and Valerie Hoff carve figures such as butterflies, bears, mermaids and abstract designs they have seen while visiting New Zealand.

The Maori, the native people of the island nation, practice bone carving and attach spiritual significance to their works of art. The Hoffs first visited New Zealand in 1987, and they were so fascinated by the Maori carvings that they returned each year. They now own a home on the north island and spend half the year there.

Using large and small tools, ranging from saws and drill presses to small buffers held between their fingers, the Hoffs carve 320 designs from the 480 bones they use each year. They also take special requests for their pieces, which cost $24 to $200.

“We go from big tools to little tools” as the work progresses, said Valerie, a former special education teacher who now plies her craft from a chair that’s

specially designed to ease

the pain from a benign spinal tumor.

“I’m so focused when I’m carving, I don’t even feel the pain,” she said.

Gerry, a former art teacher, said he and his wife use only leg bones from moose because they are so rugged and durable. After cleaning the bones, they remove the marrow and apply a hydrogen peroxide solution that kills germs and whitens the pieces. The bones are then dried on racks.

The two artisans always wear their carvings, suspended from necklaces, before they are sold.

“Our No. 1 selling carving is called ‘Within.’ It’s an abstract piece. When you see it, it’s such a simple design,” Valerie said.