Plique-À-Jour Hau Blossom Earrings

February 2025  
Fine silver, vitreous glass enamel, citrine, amethyst  

The hau tree, also known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is found throughout the tropical Pacific islands. Its wood was used by the ancient Hawaiians to make wa‘a, or canoes; the sap, bark and flowers were all used medicinally. 

The large yellow blossoms are particularly interesting to me because they maintain a deep cup-like shape throughout the day—common enough in angel's trumpets, say, but unusual compared to a lot of typical Hawaiian flowers.

I've attempted to catch their brightness and that sense of depth here by creating a concave plique-à-jour hau blossom in transparent glass enamel, accented by citrine and amethyst to pick up the colors of the flower. Set in fine silver, the colors of these delicate earrings pop like the blossoms by the beach!