History of Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry

Back to the era of the Hawaiian monarchy, the origin of Hawaiian heirloom jewelry can be found. The Hawaiian kingdom had long enjoyed a favorable relationship with England.

In February 1862, Prince Albert, husband to England's Queen Victoria, was dead. During the queen's time of grief, only mourning clothes and black-accented jewelry were acceptable apparel at the royal court. Meanwhile, jewelry accented with black jet or enamel and carved with floral, vine or scroll designs became the fashion trend in England. These pieces came in the forms of rings, broaches, pendants and bracelets.

Reacting to Prince Albert's death, a 23-year-old Hawaiian princess named Liliu Loloku Walania Kamakaeha (Hawaii's last Queen Liliuokalani) ordered two gold that precisely followed the style and detail of the black-enameled English mourning jewelry.

In 1887, Hawaii's Queen Kapiolani and Princess Liliu were invited to Queen Victoria's Jubilee. At the Jubilee, Queen Victoria bestowed them precious gold bracelets with each name of theirs imprinted in Old English Lettering filled with black enamel (here's an example of hawaiian jewelry). They adored the gift so that they had similar bracelets made for Hawaiian Royal members upon their return to Hawaii. Hawaiian Royal had adopted this sophisticated and hand-carved technique and developed it into its unique design inspired by Hawaiian nature. This Hawaiian royal heritage has been succeeded and lived on as Today's Hawaiian Jewelry.