Written by: Anna

We’ve been designing new and captivating pieces for our bees jewelry line for well over a decade. Somehow the intrepid bee never tires of showing up as a muse! We can count on her to appear time and time again in customer favorites and throughout our Bees Collection.

Sometimes our bee is surrounded by jewels, or she dangles from a bracelet. She might also appear with a group of friends as in our Bee Mandala, which earned lead designer Jenny Byrne a Designer Jewelry Showcase First Place Silver Designer of the Year Award, 2011.

How does the bee inspire?

Zealandia jewelry often includes totemic animals as subjects, and our bees jewelry line is no exception. Totemic animals are symbolic, and they imbue traits that we wish to realize in our lives. The bee—and particularly the honey bee—symbolizes fertility, community, and the sweetness of life:

• Fertility: The honeybee serves as a constant reminder for us to gather the gifts of life and make our lives fertile through them. Honeybees pollinate plants which often have complicated built-in processes that prevent self-fertilization. The honeybee accomplishes this effortlessly through her furry body and dedication to gathering nectar/pollen from various flowers. Pollen rubs off her and onto the appropriate reproductive area of the flower and voila! Life begins anew.
• Community: Our bees jewelry collection includes pendants and bracelets that also feature more than one bee, celebrating the power of community that the beloved bee represents. The honeybee community is made up of tens of thousands of members—primarily female worker bees (we hear that!). There is one fertile queen and hundreds of male drones, and each member of the hive has very specialized roles that ensure the community’s survival.
• The sweetness of life: This is symbolized by the bees’ creations: honeycomb as well the gorgeous natural honey and young stored in it. Honeycomb is expertly crafted to maximize storage space out of a wax the bees make themselves. It is a miraculous haven that serves the colony well in raising its young and feeding its members.

The power of totemic jewelry

Much of our jewelry is dreamed up to be worn symbolically as a totem for its owner. Our bees jewelry collection features bees and also a honeycomb pendant and honeycomb earrings for anyone who wishes to bring the magic of the hive into their lives.

The power of totemic jewelry can be compared to the power of certain gem stones. Just as the energy of a gem stone—say rainbow moonstone, which carries the properties of spiritual, psychic, and emotional healing—can be felt, so too the energy of the totemic animal can be present for the wearer. Maybe you know someone who always feels courageous and powerful when they wear their tiger belt buckle. Or a friend who never fails to grab her purse embroidered with an elephant when she needs a little extra strength and support.

Totemic animals and animal symbolism has rich and varied history that is as old as mankind. Early man understood himself and his world through symbols. As he lived so closely with animals, they became a vital symbol for him in relating to his world. Animal symbolism has been used in every aspect of life from ancient Chinese astrology to modern iterations of the corporate logos we know so well.

Who doesn’t recognize the car manufacturer’s leaping jaguar, the MSN butterfly, or the now ubiquitous Twitter bluebird? Each of these animals says something about the brand, its product or service, and also the feeling or energy it inspires.

A piece of totemic bee jewelry can serve to connect its wearer to the fearless and fertile bee’s spirit. We give our world and our lives meaning. If the bee speaks to you, she can be a totem animal that enriches your days.

o you have a favorite totemic animal?