The Story of the Huia Beak Earrings

The Huia Beak Earrings form part of our Bird Series. This is an acknowledgement of our ancestors and their very special relationship to one particular bird that is now extinct – The Huia.

This bird is of such ancient lineage it had no other relatives on the earth. The Huia was a bird of deep metallic bluish black plumage with a green iridescence on the upper surface. The tail feathers were unique having a broad white band across the tips. It had orange wattles on either side of its ivory beak.

It was sacred to Maori people – closely associated with the great Chiefs of the land. Only Chiefs of great distinction could wear its tail feathers as adornment.
At the turn of last Century, The Duke and Duchess of York paid a visit to Rotorua where they were given a Maori welcome. One of the guides drew a Huia feather from her hair and placed it into the band of the bowler hat worn by the Duke. This simple act increased the demand for Huia feathers as a fashion item and undoubtedly hastened the extinction of this unique native bird.

Here at Too Luscious we have taken artistic license to create the Huia Beak Earrings which we feel are an elegant and beautiful form of adornment for both men (single earring) and women (pair).

We chose the beak as the female Huia had a long slightly curved beak about 9cm long in ivory white compared to the male whose beak was stout and sharp. The male beak designed for breaking bark, and the female beak for digging out insects. The Maori believed the Huia to be companion birds – one not able to exist without the other.
The romanticsm of these birds inspired our choice in their representation in our jewellery range.

Too Luscious has taken this ancient cultural symbol and given it a contemporary twist! All our pieces are inspired by our heritage and culture, and designed to be funky, fabulous – and get attention!

How Do We Make It?
We handcraft each and every Too Luscious Hei Tiki. We create the originals, hand-make our own moulds, mix, colour and pour the resin by hand, then hand finish and polish each piece. Time, care, effort and a little piece of us goes into every piece, which makes each one special. They are also made with care for the environment, so you can feel good knowing you chose a product that is good to the earth.

We guarantee you will love our funky resin jewellery and the attention it brings, or you can return it within 30 days - no questions asked! So you can purchase risk free and guilt free. Look fabulous, and get attention while you save the world! How good is that?

Add to your shopping cart now!!
xxx
Inez Tawa and Aroha