Stephen L. Myhre started woodcarving in 1974 as a balance for university study. Gradually the carving became more important and today Myhre is a celebrated jeweler and carver, and stones such as the rich jades abundant in his native New Zealand.

I am primarily known as a bone carver through my book, Bone Carving, a Skillbase of Techniques and Concepts, but over the years I have moved over to carving stone. My primary passion is jade, but I also enjoy working with various hardstones. I still like to carve bone and ivory occasionally and work with other softer materials such as Mother of Pearl, wood and horn. Being a New Zealander means I have had the good fortune to be exposed to the long history of carving here and to artifacts both pre-European and contemporary. When I was reaching for something to do with my hands it was natural to start with that history, and those pieces.