Butterfly Wing Jewelry
Are you shopping for a birthday present? Something special for a friend? Or do you just love Butterflies LIVE! and want another way to appreciate butterfly beauty? Look no further. The Garden Shop now features butterfly wing jewelry perfect for expressing your love for a friend or for the Garden. Each butterfly jewel is unique, made from the wings of one of nature’s own gems, but only after they have lived out their natural lives in the Butterflies LIVE! exhibit. Each piece is a work of art and captures the splendor of nature in the form of pendants and earrings.
This vibrantly colored pendant highlights the beauty of the common morpho (Morpho peleides) in its alternating blue and black hues. Were it not for the delicate, silver chain, one might almost think it a raindrop. $32.
The pink cattleheart butterfly (Parides iphidamas) wings feature an intricate black and pink pattern. The drop earrings perfectly display the lovely and unique nature of this butterfly set against the thorns of a narajilla leaf (Solanum quitoense). $24.
Exquisite Detail from Real Butterfly Wings
Butterflies usually live several weeks to several months in the wild (depending on the type) and typically live longer in our exhibit where there are no predators. What better way to honor their short life, than to recycle their beautiful wings into something we can continue to enjoy. Of course no butterflies are harmed in making the jewelry. Creator of these pieces and founder of Lonely Pine Jewelry, Melody Milleker says, “…specimens used in Lonely Pine pieces are found naturally and ethically sourced.”
Held against the backdrop of the snow white flowers of Euphorbia hypericifolia, the malachite butterfly (Siproeta stelenes) wings are the perfect earth-toned treasure. $20.
The sharp blue tones of these common morpho wings (Morpho peleides) proudly stand out against the almost fuzzy backdrop of dusty miller (Senecio cineraria). These earrings, gorgeously showcase nature’s genius in the small scope of a butterfly’s wing. $24.
Once a butterfly’s life-cycle is complete, fallen wings are simply collected by Elliott Phillips, one of the Garden’s butterfly curators, so they can be preserved in resin. Milleker then partners with the Garden Shop to develop her nature-based jewelry, recycling the delicate wings of the butterflies that lived out their natural life in the exhibit. This way, nature and butterfly lovers alike can enjoy the winged beauty even after the Butterflies LIVE! exhibit closes for the season.
Only a large pendant will do for the magnificent tailed jay (Graphium agamemnon) as it swings from the branch of a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). This pendant is the perfect way to appreciate the elaborate spotted pattern on the butterfly wing. $32.
Perhaps one of the most unique, the wings of the leopard lacewing (Cethosia cyane) look like a glass mosaic with combined black and orange tones against foliage of the kobus magnolia (Magnolia kobus). These large square-shaped earrings are a statement piece that is hard to match, providing a touch of nature and sophistication.
Whether you are looking for a one-of-a-kind gift for a friend, or a way to express your own love of nature, be sure to consider the Garden’s butterfly wing jewelry. Each handcrafted piece has its own individual beauty. You may even find that one is simply not enough, starting your very own collection of butterfly jewelry.