The Perfect Hawaiian Souvenir
To visit Hawaii is to experience all the beauty, peace, and power that mother nature offers. Of course, you will want to find the perfect souvenir to remind you of Hawaii - all you saw, all that you experienced, and all the feelings that accompanied your visit.
What to Bring Back From Hawaii
You might want to purchase souvenirs for loved ones back home that couldn’t come with you to the Hawaiian Islands, in addition to a special gift for yourself. It can be intimidating to select a meaningful gift for someone else. You want your gift to come from the heart, but you also what it to be something that the receiver will genuinely love.
Whaler’s Locker is a great place to find authentic Hawaiian treasures for yourself or your loved ones. You really can’t go wrong with anything we have, as all are unique, authentic pieces of Hawaii. However, we hope this souvenir guide can help you choose the best gift for you and your loved one.
Hawaiian Carved Hook Souvenir
Carved hooks, also known as Maui fish hooks, are iconic symbols of Hawaii. Carved hooks represent:
- Strength
- Abundance
- Prosperity
- Respect for the sea
Wearing a carved hook offers good luck and safe travels, and ancient Hawaiian history says carved hook pendants made of bone embody the soul of the person who wears it. It is for these reasons that carved hooks often become family heirlooms, passed from father to son.
Carved hooks encapsulate Hawaiian traditions near and dear to the hearts of the native people, which means we consider a carved hook to be the perfect souvenir in Hawaii. Here are some of Whaler’s Locker’s favorite carved hook pendants:
Stellar’s Sea Cow Bone Carved Hook
This traditional carved hook made from the extinct Steller’s sea cow, a sea mammal hunted to its demise in the late 1700s. What a medium to choose for a carved hook that represents respect for the sea and ocean life. May this pendant serve as a reminder to always respect nature.
Maple Burl with Resin Carved Hook
A maple burl is a growth that sometimes occurs on a maple tree, usually due to injury or infection. While burls can look like an ugly deformity on the outside, inside they reveal curly lumps and swirls. No two burls are alike, and so pieces fashioned from burls are entirely different too. This carved hook finished with resin creates a truly unique look.
Deer Antler Carved Hook
This understated carved hook pendant is for those who prefer simple, straightforward, and traditional pieces. Local Maui artist, Ray Peters carved this hook.
Hawaiian Shark Tooth Souvenir
Shark teeth are another iconic symbol of the islands, as when you picture a Hawaiian surfer, it wouldn’t be surprising to find a shark tooth pendant around his or her neck.
Ancient Hawaiians wore shark teeth on necklaces because they believed the teeth kept sea dangers at bay. Shark teeth also were useful tools for native Hawaiians. A leiomano is a thick club finished with shark teeth, used as a weapon, but shark teeth were also helpful for cutting and preparing food.
Today, shark teeth still represent protection from the dangers of the sea, but they also represent honor and tradition. Sharks are incredible animals deserving of respect, and ancient Hawaiian myths say that aumakua, or family deities, often manifest in sharks.
With a shark tooth pendant, you can keep the Hawaiian beliefs close to your heart, and share the traditions you’ve learned about with loved ones. Below are Whaler’s Locker’s favorite shark tooth pendants.
Bull Shark Tooth Pendant
Bull sharks are aggressive and unpredictable, and like all species of sharks, regularly lose and regenerate teeth. This small shark tooth pendant adorned with gold wire balances dainty detail with the bull-headed nature of the shark. You can embrace the fire within you, or tell your loved one to, with this real tooth pendant from an ocean predator.
Megalodon Fossil Tooth
For true shark lovers or lovers of prehistoric times, perhaps the biggest shark to ever live’s fossilized tooth is a better fit. This Megalodon tooth is uniquely colored and makes quite the conversation piece.
Hawaiian Pendant Souvenirs
Other Hawaiian pendants can make equally meaningful, stunning gifts for you or your loved ones. Pendants with Hawaiian symbols or things that you find on the Hawaiian Islands can bring back the feelings of Hawaii just as much as a carved hook can.
Below are some fantastic pendants by Catherine Conarroe and Whaler’s Locker that capture the Hawaiian essence.
Pele’s Tears Sterling Silver Pendant
The creator of the Hawaiian Islands is the goddess of volcanoes and fire called Madame Pele. Volcanologists use the term “Pele’s tears” to describe small pieces of solidified lava. These lava teardrops happen when airborne particles of hot lava fuse together, forming drops of volcanic glass.
Sterling Silver Haleakala Pendant
The tallest peak on the Hawaiian island, Maui, is known as Haleakala. At its peak, Haleakala reaches an elevation over 10,000 feet, and it is here that you will witness some of the most unique and beautiful landscapes in all the world. Catherine Conarroe captures the beauty of the sun setting over Haleakala in this unique sterling silver pendant.
Sterling Silver Lotus Pendant
The lotus is a powerful symbol relevant to many cultures all over the world. In Hawaii, the lotus symbolizes purity of the mind and heart. Lotus flowers grow in murky, muddy water and rise above the surface to bloom free from the mud. They are resilient, like the human spirit, and bring long life, good luck, and honor to those that wear them. This sterling silver lotus pendant captures all of these messages and more.
Carved hooks, shark teeth, and other pendant jewelry are a great way to memorialize your visit to the Hawaiian Islands and provide you with a sense of connection with the magic of Hawaii and its beautiful culture.
Whether you’re searching for a Hawaii souvenir for yourself or bringing something meaningful home to a loved one, Whaler’s Locker has a vast selection of beautiful and exciting pieces that can help you show your loved ones how you feel. Be sure to stop into our storefront on Front Street, Lahaina, if you visit Maui! Aloha!