Queen Kapiolani (1834-1899)

he story of Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry 

Hawaiian heirloom jewelry dates back to the 

Victorian era in England.  In 1887, Queen-to-be 

Princess Lili'uokalani and her sister-in-law Queen 

Kapi'olani traveled to London to attend the 

Jubilee of Queen Victoria. At the event, Queen

Victoria presented each a gold bracelet specially 

engraved with their names and filled with black 

enamel in Old English lettering. The young 

princess was very proud of the jewelry and 

commissioned her jewelers to create

more in a similar style. Local craftsmen and 

artisans enhanced the basic design by accenting 

it with engravings of local Hawaii flowers and 

plants.

  

As a long standing Hawaiian tradition, the 

jewelry is passed from one generation to the next, 

particularly bracelets and rings. With creativity 

and imagination, Hawaii artisans over the years 

have expanded the Hawaiian Heirloom collection 

to include various types of pendants, earrings 

and necklaces.

Characteristics of authentic Hawaiian Heirloom jewelry

Traditional Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry is 

distinguished by the old English script style 

lettering filled with black enamel.  Each piece is 

accented with hand-engraved exotic flowers of

our islands, with the person's name, initials or 

Hawaiian phrase as the center piece. Because of 

individual preference, many designers eliminate 

the black enamel and present the entire piece in 

yellow gold or sterling silver.

Queen Liliuokalani (1839-1917),
Hawaii's last reigning monarch