-. ...- --·- - ··- -- ·- - - ------ -----·----------------- - ------September, 195 2 Home Economics Circula

= -COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK

IN AGRICULTURE AND HOME ECONOMICS

STATE OF HAWAII UNIVF.R SITY OF H:,:·!/11 I AGRI CULTURAL EXTE NS IO N SER VI CE COL L:CE OF hGR ICU LTUR£ HO NOLU LU, HAWA I I USDA COOPER ATI NG

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M\f)E AN D ·.,JOR~·J TO O.\ Y*

Some of the native beans and seeds in Hat-,aii make fascinating jewelry, much more suited than modern costume jewelry for wear with Hawaiian garb. Many of these wer~ worn by the ancient Hawaiians in the days of long ago.

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If you decide to make a pin or earrings, glue the beans or seeds in your chosen design to a plastic

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back, and glue the pin bar or the earring screws to the other side of the plastic.

When stringing some kinds of seeds , you can set1through them, using a heavy darning needle and strong thread, #10, black or brown. Other seeds need special treatment as follows:

IV. DRILLING

Many of the nuts and seeds that are most satisfactory for jewelry are very hard and must be drilled.To do this, put seed or nut in a vise or make a grooveto hold it, and use a hand drill; use a motor with a fine drill and push nut against drill, or have a jeweler drill the holes. Be careful to drill straight through the nut or seed so it will hang straight.

V. POLISHING

Many nuts and seeds are more attractive if they are polished to a high luster. This may be done in many different ways. Most nuts must be sanded, using:

1. Sandpaper, #1/2. 2. Wet or dry sandpaper #220, #400, #500, and #600.

The next step is to oil or wax them, using one of the following materials:

1. Kukui nut meat (always used by Hawaiians to polish kukui nut leis). 2 . Boiled linseed oil. This may be used instead of kukui nut oil. Apply

about five coats. 3. Paste wax, either floor or car type.

If you have a hand drill, use the mechanical buff§lr . with polishing()J)t'Jlpouruit to produce a high polish. However, some of the most beautiful kukui nut leis have bee1 polished by hand. Oil or wax them, then take the seeds down to the beach and rub them in the sand or use a breadfr~it leaf to polish them.

VI. STRINGING

In stringing the various seeds, beans, and nuts, you may use nylon thread, nylon fish line, or jeweler's wire. The latter two are convenient because no needle is required. Be sure, if you use the wire or fish line, not to string the seeds to tightly. The seeds should hang straight. For leis, tie a double k~ to f asten the thread, and work the ends back through three beads in each direction to fasten the ends.

In making chokers, you will need a loop in the thread at each end. Fast.en a fine cord or grosgrain ribbon 1/4 inch wide and matching the seeds in color, througl the loops and use these two ends to tie the choker. It is also possible to use a regular bead clasp, but this is not as much in keeping with the native seeds.

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When . stringing the beans or aeeds, you may want to graduate the size, with the largest one in the center front and t he smallest ones at the back. If the seeds have a definite shape, plan to str :. a g them all from th e same end . You can continue this for the full length of the chain, or you may reverse the direction after reaching t he center.

VARIOUS TYPES OF BEANS .AND SEEDS THAT ARE USEFUL FOR JEWELRY

KUKUI or Candlenut Tree (Aleurites moluccana), plentiful in all the islands of Hawaii.

1. Matet'i&ls Nepae.d

a. Half-round, second-cut file, 8 to 10 inches long. b. Extra slim tapered three-corner file, 6 to 8 inches long. c. Coping saw. d. Vise

2. Making_.! Kukui Nut Pendant

a. Select a kukui nut, as perfect a one as you can find. b. Remove the grayish covering with the second-cut :i: ile. c. If you want the surfa~e plain, file off the ridges.

To preserve the ridges, use the three-corner file. The point at the bottom of the seed and hole at the top will serve as a center guide.

d. Sand the nut, using #1/2 flint paper, then the four grades of wet and dry sandpaper, #220 to #600.

c. Use the meat of the kukui nut to polish, or apply linseed oil to it. Wipe off with a dry cotton cloth and repeat five times. Wax two or three times.

f. Screw pendant holder into hole in top of nut, string ribbon or chain through it.

3. Making.! Kukui lli:!l Kerchief Ring

a. Choose a kuku! nut. b. Place nut in vise. c. Using coping saw, cut out two pieces on the back, leaving a 1/4 inch

wide ring to connect with the front. Remove nut meat. d. Finish the same as the pendant, following steps b, c, d, and e.

4. Making !!_ Kukui Nut ~ .2!. Choker

a. Sort the kukui nuts so they will be nicely matched in size and shape. Decide how many you will need for the necklace you plan to make.

b. Drill holes through length of seed, starting with hole in top of nut. (See directions for drilling, page 2).

c. Follow steps b, c, d, and e for making a kukui nut pendant, above, to finish the nuts.

d. Kukui nuts may be buried in the ground to let the ants eat out the nut meat. However, it i.s perfectly all right to string them right away

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and wear them. In time the nut dries out and the beads become much lighter in weight. If the nut meats are left in, it will be be s t to leave the beads where they arc exposed to t he air, rather than put t hem m,1ay in an airtight box or drawer, If they ~ust be packed away, wrap in tissue paper.

e. String the nuts on nylon fish line, jeweler's wire, or ribbon.

MONKEY NUT or Queen Palm, or Feathery Coconut Palm (Arecastrum rornanzoffianum) There are many of these t rees around the Islands . In gathe ring the nuts, watch fo1 even sizes as there is quite a variation. Leis, pins, and kerchief rings can be made from these nuts.

1. Materials Needed

a. Small knife. b. Coping saw. c. No, 1/2 flint paper. d. Wet and dr'y sandpaper, #200, #300, 1fa5 00, and #600. e. Pin backs, ribbon, jeweler's wire, nylon thread.

a. Scrape off fibrous covering of nµt with knife. b. Decide what you want to make and select nuts for that purpose. c. For a lei or choker, holes must be drilled for stringing. d. For kerchief or finger ring, use coping saw to cut out two pieces on

back, leaving a 1/4-inch band across center of back to connect with front.

e. For a pin, cut seed in half and glue to pin back. Earrings can be made in this way, too, using s:naller nuts.

f. Sano ; any of these articles, using #1/2 flint and continuing through 41600 sandpar,er.

g. Polish as for kukui nuts or buff with motor if you have one available.

KOA HAOLE (Leucaena glauca). Available near at hand on all the islands. Thes , small, glossy, flat, brown seeds make beautiful leis and chokers. They must be carefully sorted for size, and consideration should be given to the curve of the seeds so that they are strung with the more curvi ng side out.

1. Materials Needed

a. Long slender needles. b. No. 10 black or brown thread. (Never use white thread. It shows.) c. Beeswax. d. Oil--vegetable, olive, or mineral.

2. How~ ~ with Koa Seeds

a. Add 1 teaspoon oil to 1 pint of water. Boil seeds approximately 5 to 10 minutes, until needle goes through easily. Drain, pat dry, and place in covered jars. They should be ' kqpt .in the regrig.etat:or-·:wnen you are not working with them, so they will not dry out.

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b . Wnx t he t hr ead ~ using n s ingle s t r and of #10. Doulbinc a finer t hr ead cauGes tang ling .

c . String seeds to suit your fanc y , ma king lei s or chokers. Do no t overlook the possibi l ity of combining the koa uith the gray Job's Tears or t he red Wil iwil i ,

d. Any seed or nut lei s hould be kept where it i s expos ed to t he a i r, not put away in a box or drauer. You may like t o hang them on a hook on the back of your closet door, If necessary t o r ack at·1ay, wr ap i n tissue paper.

JACARANDA PODS (Jacaranda ovalifol i.a ). Se lect . five small ones , sand and \·1 ax. Drill t wo ho les 1/2 inch apar t near~t or, and str ing a lea ther thong through them to make a necl~ l ace. The cent er one might be a little larger than the others.

MANILA PALM (Adooidia merrillii), This is a very pretty seed, tan ve i ned with whi te , and i,hen polished it looks almost like s tone. Must be drilled.

KAKALAIOA (Caesalpinia crista), One of t he most interesting ~eeds, Ro unded, often flat on one side . Is very dull gr ay when gathered, but takes a beaut i ful sheen. May be strung with Uild Canna s eeds, or false Wiliwili. This is sometimes ca lled Gray Nickers. Another name is Hawai i an Pearls. I n former days, when the Japanese were going to J apan for a visit, leis of I blacl~, irregular in outline and sur f ace. Need not be drilled. If boiled, allow for shrinkage after dryi.nz.

SOAPBERRY, or Nanele, or A1 e (Sapindus sa r;onariu). Round, black . Used wide ly by the old Hawaiians for leis. Grow::i on o tree, i n an orange-colored f ruit. As ' fruit mature s , it shrivels and turns brown.

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WILD CANN/\ (Canna indica). Small, bla ck :.;ee