History of Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry
by Soulee Lester Kealoaha Onalani Stroud

Queen Victoria of Great Britain married Prince Albert, the son of a German Duke in 1840. He was initially unpopular in England, but in time, the English came to admire him for his irreproachable character, his devotion to the Queen and their children, and his studious concern with public affairs. In this role, he exerted enormous influence on polices and events in international as well as national matters, becoming, in truth, the owner behind the throne. Overburdened with work, he succumbed to typhoid fever and died at the age of forty-two.

At the death of her husband, Queen Victoria went into a period of mourning which was to last the rest of her life. This unexpected death left English subjects shocked and grieved. All the nation went into mourning.

It was customary to be in mourning for a period of two years. The first year, only black was allowed to be worn. This was a time of full mourning, and there were elaborate regulations as to appropriate dress. For jewelry, jet and black enamel were the obvious solutions, coupled with the traditional Old English scrolling patterns that were hand carved by guilds. Black enamel was used to highlight and accent the gold jewelry.

By 1877, when Queen Kapiolani and Princess Lili'uokalani visited England to attend Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, the black and gold jewelry was in vogue, respected, and in wide use. The two women were quite fond of jewelry and found themselves intrigued by the exquisitely hand-crafted, engraved jewelry. The Queen and Princess brought back pieces of this jewelry to show their family and friends in Hawaii.

Bringing back the gold and enamel jewelry to the islands created quite a commotion in high society circles, and the beautiful English carvings were reproduced in various "Island Styles." Maile leaves, hibiscus flowers, ti leaves, and plumeria designs found their way into history as Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry!

As its popularity spread, other social classes desired the jewelry to be carved with names to make it personal. Thus, a tradition and great medium of style surrounded this jewelry and its use has expanded to all comers of the realm and beyond.

Today, Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry is praised and desired throughout the world. Personal and valuable, with enduring designs from hand engraved and personalized gold jewelry that Queen Kapiolani and Princess Lili'uokalani introduced in 1887, a cottage industry grew which, today, gives us one of Hawaii's most precious gifts, Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry.