Aloha and welcome to ShellsHawaii blog everyone

After learning about many traditional styles used in Niʻihau shell jewelry creation, today we will explore another beautiful style called Crown Flower style.

Crown flower style is one of the most popular and recognizable styles often seen in Niʻihau shell jewelry. You may notice this style in earrings, leis, bracelets, and many other floral-inspired creations shared online or lovingly passed down through generations.

Traditionally, this style is most often created with Momi shells, forming soft rounded clusters that resemble blooming flowers. Sometimes artisans also blend colorful Kahelelani shells into the design, creating another beautiful variation known as Kipona style.

What Is a Crown Flower — And How Did This Style Get Its Name?

The crown flower, known in Hawaiian as Pua Kalaunu, is a real flower recognized for its soft star-shaped blossoms that grow in rounded clusters. In Hawaiʻi, the flower became especially meaningful because it was closely connected with Queen Liliʻuokalani, as many believed the blossom resembled a royal crown.

Because the dry island of Niʻihau had limited fresh flowers available for lei-making, Hawaiian artisans began transforming tiny ocean shells into lasting floral-inspired creations. Over generations, these shell techniques became one of Hawaiʻi’s most treasured art forms.

When tiny Momi shells are tied together into soft rounded clusters, the finished shellwork naturally begins to resemble blooming crown flowers. That is how the name “crown flower style” became connected to this traditional Niʻihau shell jewelry style.

How Hole Placement Changes the Look of Crown Flower Style in Niʻihau Shell Jewelry

Crown flower style can appear in many forms of Niʻihau shell jewelry. Even though the tying method may stay very similar, the final appearance can change depending on how the shells were prepared and poked before stringing.

Some versions create a fuller rounded floral appearance where the waha (mouth) of the shell faces outward, while other versions lie flatter and flow more smoothly like a braided ribbon. In Niʻihau shell jewelry creation, even a tiny adjustment during shell preparation can completely change the way the shells sit, overlap, and flow once tied together. This is one of the details that makes traditional crown flower style so special and challenging at the same time.

What makes traditional crown flower style especially fascinating is that both designs below are created using a very similar crown flower tying technique — yet the finished appearance looks completely different while still carrying the patience, artistry, Hawaiian heritage, and aloha found in every tiny shell.

Flatter Braided Crown Flower Look

The first bracelet (#510) creates a flatter and more braided appearance. The shells sit closely together and flow in a smoother continuous line, giving the bracelet a finer and more delicate look.

Because this bracelet was created using very small-sized Momi shells that were carefully matched in both size and shape, the finished crown flower style has a very fine, delicate, and refined appearance.

Fuller Rounded Crown Flower Look

The beautiful matching modern style shell necklace and earrings set with 14k gold filled chain (#512) creates a fuller and rounder crown flower appearance. The shells open outward more naturally, creating larger floral clusters with more volume and dimension.

Instead of a braided flowing look, the design feels puffier and more blooming, almost like tiny flower blossoms forming along the jewelry.

Even though both pieces use crown flower style techniques, even a small difference in hole placement can create a totally different look in the finished jewelry. Carefully matching shell size, color, and tiny details while tying the shells together also helps give the final piece a finer and more refined appearance.

Closing

I truly hope after reading this blog, next time you see crown flower style online or even in person, it may feel a little more familiar to you and you will recognize how this beautiful traditional Niʻihau shell jewelry style received its name.

You may also begin noticing how small details like hole placement, shell size matching, and tying techniques can gently change the final appearance of each finished piece.

Thank you so much for spending a little time here with me and reading my blog. If you would like to see some of my finished crown flower style creations, please feel welcome to explore my jewelry categories. I use this traditional technique in many different patterns using a variety of shell colors and shell combinations.

I hope to see you here again next time.

With aloha,
Janjira