Paua Jewelry—Fossilized Walrus Ivory Firebird Necklace

Our firebird necklace is loosely inspired by the mythical phoenix, an awe inspiring creature that is said to live in 500 year cycles. The phoenix firebird's life cycle is one of divine regeneration, and the phoenix itself is said to represent the divine fire. At the end of his 500 year cycle, the phoenix creates a nest and then fans its flames to be consumed in the fire and reborn as a new phoenix from the ashes.

Zealandia designers chose to represent this regeneration symbolism in the paua shell egg that is nesting in our firebird's body. We all carry the seed for regeneration within us—life can never end, it simply changes form. New Zealand paua shell, the rich colored inner lining from the New Zealand paua (a type of abalone), inspires all the design accents in our paua jewelry. Here the egg stands out, luminous with its promise of new life.

Our firebird's head and neck are carved from fossilized walrus ivory tusk, a material that is some 500 to 3,000 years old. Centuries spent buried in the earth have colored this fossilized ivory its rich caramel hue, and it is valued across the world as a particularly beautiful accent in fine jewelry and art works. Native peoples gather the fossilized walrus tusk from shorelines and in places where erosion has uncovered it, their own centuries old tradition and an important part of their indigenous economy.