Written by: Anna Zealandia’s bee jewelry collection is more than an offering of unforgettable pendants, earrings, and bracelets created around the beautiful bee. Our bee jewelry was inspired by founder Jenny Byrne’s concern for the global decline in honeybee populations. She felt compelled to celebrate bees through handcrafted jewelry while highlighting this precious insect and all that it does for our planet. Honeybee populations have been on the decline for some time now. What has been termed Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder is still not completely understood by experts, but environmental factors and weather changes are undoubtedly playing a part. The honeybee is critical in supporting the food chain through pollination. Honeybees cross pollinate more than 100 fruits and vegetables that comprise a significant portion of our diet. Here at Zealandia we actively donate to various organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy, among others. These organizations do important work in raising awareness for declining honeybee populations. The WWF’s Adopt a Honeybee program directly funnels donations toward this cause, which is gaining momentum in the public consciousness. The more aware we are of our part in preserving the honeybee and stopping the destruction of bee habitats, the faster we can reverse this alarming trend.

Bee Jewelry on a Mission

Zealandia jewelry is uniquely inspired by the natural world, and our bee jewelry is no exception. Our designers’ trademark take on realistic and artistically rendered animal designs have earned Zealandia multiple awards over the years for design excellence. Our Bee Mandala pendant was awarded a prestigious Designer Jewelry Showcase First Place Silver Designer of the Year Award in 2011. This piece in particular brings together the natural world and the spiritual, another Zealandia hallmark. It takes the honeybee as its subject, and the Buddhist/Hindu mandala as its framework. The mandala represents the universe, wholeness, and divine structure in the Buddhist/Hindu traditions. It is circular, echoing the symbolism we associate with bees—namely community and service in good of the whole. Our bee jewelry reminds many wearers of the bee’s selfless life and the effortless way it co-exists in community. [caption id="attachment_193" align="aligncenter" width="660"] A monk works carefully on a section of a sand mandala.
Image credit: Wayne Dodge, freeimages.com[/caption] We can all take a lesson from the bee. Many of us choose to wear or carry something that reminds us of the tiny bee’s vast, inspiring presence in our world. [caption id="attachment_196" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Flower mandala, Bali.[/caption]