Hawaiian Leioglyphs

This collection was inspired by the beauty and mystery of Hawaiian petroglyphs... and by my aversion to using them in my work. Those ancient carvings are fascinating and full of history and mana, and yet I find jewelry based on them to be appropriative at best if not made by a Kanaka Maoli artist. That being said, I wanted to create something akin to the petroglyphs, to emulate the minimalism of the form by creating understated designs that similarly evoke important touchstones in Hawaiian culture. 

I considered some traditional motifs and envisioned them through a lens of Art Deco and abstract modernist influences as well as the memory of an amorphous pewter seal tchotchke that my father kept on his desk when I was a boy. I coined the term "leioglyph" to describe the polished and mostly featureless surfaces of the resulting designs, substituting the Greek word leios (smooth) for the prefix in the portmanteau "petroglyph" (Gr. petros, "stone" + glyph, "a carving"). It is my hope that these leioglyphs will resonate with the wearer as powerfully as the petroglyphs of old.

"Leioglyph" is a trademark of Edelstein Metalsmiths. All rights reserved.