The Plumeria Flower. One of Hawaiis great symbols and also one of our best selling pendant and earring designs - our marcasite Plumeria Pendant with matching marcasite Plumeria Earrings and ring. The design of these items is just stunning and we love the shape of this gentle, feminine flower so we thought we’d take a look at the history of this flower and tell you a little more about it.     

The Hawaiian natives have a special relationship with nature and the beauty of the islands they inhabit. Plumeria flowers are a national symbol of Hawaii and represent 'perfection' and signify the start of the spring season when new life is begins to bloom in the plant kingdom. Because of this, Hawaiians adorn themselves and Hawaii visitors, with this colourful, evocative flower. 

The plumeria flower is very common in Hawaii, adorning the streets and parklands of this beautiful paradise Island. We were lucky enough to visit Honolulu in 2011 and see these stunning flowers all over the island in a variety of bright colours including white, pink, yellow, red, orange and even pastel colours. The plumeria trees upon which they grow can reach as tall as 30 feet with broad canopies of plumeria flowers spreading just as wide! The flower was present all over the island as it is commonly used in visitor lei’s and a lot of traditional Hawaiian artwork and tattoos.   The Hawaiian plumeria flower, known also as the frangipani, is a native to tropical America. It is grown as an ornamental flower, as it is not found in the wild and has been cultivated throughout the Hawaiian Islands since the late 1800s. The plumeria is the most widely seen flower in Hawaii and is therefore used in most flower lei’s and also in a variety of Hawaiian products including pendants, earrings, wood carvings as well as other trinkets and keepsakes. The Hawaiian ladies often wear these pretty flowers in their hair on clips and on hair bands so of course we made sure we did the same! After all when in Rome and any excuse to buy jewellery, so I picked up a matching pair of plumeria earrings and a pretty plumeria hairband to remind me of this beautiful tropical Island and one of its most magnificent symbols!

Niki x

Below are some photos from our trip featuring the beautiful Island of Hawaii, me wearing Plumeria Flower jewellery and the Plumeria Flower adorning a local monument by Waikiki Beach.

         

January 21, 2014 — Niki Virgo