Hawaiian scroll jewelry: meaning, styles and what to look for

Hawaiian scroll jewelry is gold jewelry engraved with flowing, curling scrollwork, usually framing a name across the front in the heirloom style. The scroll comes from the Victorian gold jewelry worn by Hawaiian royalty in the 1860s and is the oldest, most recognisable element of Hawaiian heirloom jewelry. It does not stand for one idea so much as for the tradition itself: family, remembrance, and a piece made to be handed down.

Where the scroll comes from

In the mid-1800s, gold jewelry with engraved decoration and black enamel lettering was fashionable in Britain and spread to the courts that followed British fashion, including the Hawaiian Kingdom. Liliʻuokalani, decades before she became queen, wore a gold bracelet in this style in the early 1860s, inscribed “Hoomanao Mau”, lasting remembrance. Bracelets like it, and the ones she later gave as gifts, are the root of the pieces families in Hawaiʻi still give at births, graduations and weddings. Our guide to Hawaiian heirloom jewelry tells that history in full.

Scroll was part of that Victorian vocabulary, and it stayed as the style became Hawaiian. Island plants such as plumeria and maile joined it over time, and many pieces now combine them.

What scroll looks like

Hawaiian scroll is a running pattern of curls and leaf-like flourishes that wind along the band, branching and turning back on themselves. On a classic bracelet it fills the whole surface except a panel across the front, where a name sits in Old English or script letters. On traditional pieces the engraver cuts the background away around the letters so they stand up from the surface, and those raised letters are sometimes filled with black enamel.

Because the pattern is cut by eye, no two pieces are the same. Each curl is a little different, and the line of the scroll changes to fit the width and size of each piece.

Common styles

• Bangles. The classic piece: a solid gold bangle, domed or flat, usually 6 to 12 mm wide, scroll all around and a name across the front.
• Rings and wedding bands. Scroll all the way round, or as a border on either side of maile or a plain centre.
• Pendants. Scroll cut into a heart, a disc or a cut-out shape, often with a name or initial.
• Earrings. Small scroll-engraved hoops, studs or drops, often made to match a bracelet.
• Mixed motifs. Scroll with plumeria, maile or honu set into it.

The tradition is gold, usually 14k in yellow, white or rose. Sterling silver versions (925) are common and cost less, but silver is softer and the fine cuts of scroll wear down faster.

What to look for when buying

Hand or machine engraving. Scroll shows the difference more than any other pattern. Hand-cut scroll has bright, faceted cuts that taper to fine points, and a rhythm that varies slightly from curl to curl. Machine and laser scroll tends to repeat exactly every few centimetres, with even depth. Stamped or cast scroll has rounded, softer edges. All of these exist at different prices; make sure the description matches what you see.

Solid or hollow. Many wide bangles are hollow, pressed from thin sheet with the scroll stamped in. They look generous but are light, dent easily and cannot be resized or re-engraved. Ask for the weight in grams, and compare weights between pieces of the same width.

Raised letters. On a traditional piece the letters are left standing as the background is cut away. On cheaper pieces the letters may be applied separately or simply engraved flat. Both can look good; they are different amounts of work.

Karat stamps. Look for 14K or 585, 10K or 417, 18K or 750, or 925 for sterling. GP, GF, HGE and RGP mean plated or gold filled, not solid gold.

Made in Hawaiʻi or imported. Under Hawaiʻi law, “made in Hawaii” requires at least 51 percent of the wholesale value to be added in the state. Ask where the piece was formed and where it was engraved.

Size. A bangle is a closed circle, so it has to pass over the hand. Our size guide explains how to measure.

For how weight, width and handwork affect cost, see our guide to Hawaiian jewelry prices.

Care

Wash gold in warm water with a little mild dish soap and a soft toothbrush, then rinse and dry. Take pieces off for pools, hot tubs and heavy work. The sharp edges of hand-cut scroll soften with wear over the years, and a skilled engraver can often bring them back. Black enamel can chip with hard knocks; if it does, a jeweler can usually refill it.

How we make scroll

Scroll is the default on our Heirloom Scroll Bracelet and Heirloom Scroll Ring, and you can choose it on the Maile Wedding Band, Koa Inlay Wedding Band and Koa Inlay Ring. Our Heirloom Pendant comes in a scroll heart. Everything is made to order in 14k yellow, white or rose gold and engraved by hand, and we send a proof with your size, metal and engraving text before we cut. The engraving guide shows what fits on each piece.