Hibiscus jewelry: meaning, styles and what to look for

Hibiscus jewelry is shaped like, or engraved with, the hibiscus flower, called aloalo in Hawaiian. The hibiscus is Hawaiʻi’s state flower: the Territory named it in 1923 without choosing a species, and in 1988 the Legislature named the native yellow hibiscus, maʻo hau hele. On jewelry it mostly stands for Hawaiʻi itself. We do not make a hibiscus design, but this page explains what to look for if you are buying one.

The state flower

For most of the twentieth century, people took the state flower to be whatever hibiscus they knew, often a red one, because the 1923 territorial choice named no species. Act 177 of 1988 settled it on Hibiscus brackenridgei, the native yellow hibiscus known as maʻo hau hele. It is a shrub of dry lowland forest, now endangered in the wild and grown mostly in gardens and restoration plantings.

Native and garden hibiscus

Hawaiʻi has several native hibiscus besides maʻo hau hele, including white-flowered kokiʻo keʻokeʻo and red-flowered kokiʻo ʻula. The large red, pink and orange flowers most people picture, and most hibiscus jewelry shows, are garden hibiscus, mostly hybrids of species brought to the islands from elsewhere, grown in many colours.

That does not make garden hibiscus less loved. It does mean a hibiscus pendant is usually a picture of island gardens, not of a native plant.

What it means

Hibiscus has no single traditional Hawaiian meaning that we could confirm. On jewelry it is worn as a sign of love for Hawaiʻi, and more loosely for beauty and warmth, much as people wear a state or national flower anywhere. If you want a flower with older Hawaiian roots, naupaka and maile are native and carry moʻolelo (stories); our guide to Hawaiian jewelry symbols and meanings compares them.

Common styles

• Cut-out flower pendants. Five broad petals with ruffled edges and a long central column, the part that sets hibiscus apart from plumeria.
• Earrings and studs. Small hibiscus flowers, often in pairs or with a pearl or stone at the centre.
• Engraved bands. Hibiscus cut into a ring or bangle, alone or alternating with scroll and other flowers.
• Coloured pieces. Petals in enamel, or set with coloured stones. Enamel is bright when new but can chip.

Hibiscus is more common in sterling silver (925) than most Hawaiian motifs, as well as in 14k gold.

What to look for when buying

The centre column. On a cut-out hibiscus, the long centre is the most fragile part. Check that it is part of the flower or firmly soldered, not a thin wire that will bend.

Petal edges. Ruffled petals look best with some depth. Very thin cut-outs bend and wear at the tips.

Solid or hollow, and weight. Ask whether the piece is solid and what it weighs in grams. Hollow pieces dent and cannot be resized or re-engraved.

Hand or machine engraving. Hand-cut lines are bright and faceted and vary slightly. Machine and cast detail is even and softer at the edges.

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.

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. A lot of hibiscus jewelry sold in the islands is made elsewhere, so ask.

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

Care

Wash gold or silver in warm water with a little mild dish soap and a soft toothbrush, then rinse and dry. Polish sterling with a silver cloth when it tarnishes. Keep enamel and stone-set pieces out of ultrasonic cleaners, and take any piece off for pools and hot tubs.

Why we do not make it

We do not currently cut a hibiscus design. Our flowers are plumeria, on our rings, bracelets and pendants, and naupaka, on our Heirloom Scroll Ring. If hibiscus is the flower that holds your story, book a consultation and we will tell you honestly whether we can do it justice.