[4] In 1975 Annear was given a copy of Theo Schoon's book Jade Country, and was fascinated by the material pounamu or New Zealand greenstone.
[4][3] On a 1986 trip to the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, Annear met the carvers Peter Hughson, Cliff Dalziel, Ian Boustridge, and Ross Crump, and gathered his first pieces of pounamu, a material that became very important for him.
[7] He described his work from this time as being inspired by an ‘imagined neolithic culture’ rather than specifically Māori forms: the strong geometric shapes of the pieces are derived from arrowheads, adzes and other implements.
[8] In 1991 Annear was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Fellowship to study ancient jade carvings in Asia, Europe, and North America.
[10] His work was included in the 1993 survey of New Zealand jewellery Open Heart, curated by Elena Gee for The Dowse Art Museum.