10mm Hawaiian 14k Gold Brushed Triton's Trumpet Pendant

Brand New, Never Used Hawaiian Designed 14k Yellow Gold Pendant, 100% Solid 14k Yellow Gold (Not Plated, Not Bonded, Not Filled) Pendant With Textured Accents. Design: Hawaiian Triton's Trumpet Shell; Cutout, Half-Shell Shape (Not Solid on Reverse Side), Textured Life-like Detailing, Curved (Dome) Shape, Scalloped (Cutout) Outline Edges...

Brand New, Never Used Hawaiian Designed 14k Yellow Gold Pendant, 100% Solid 14k Yellow Gold (Not Plated, Not Bonded, Not Filled) Pendant With Textured Accents. Design: Hawaiian Triton's Trumpet Shell; Cutout, Half-Shell Shape (Not Solid on Reverse Side), Textured Life-like Detailing, Curved (Dome) Shape, Scalloped (Cutout) Outline Edges, Brushed and High Polish Finish; Measures: Approx. Just Over 3/8" Widest X 1.0" Long incl. Bail, 3.5mm Wide X 4.5mm Long Bail Opening; Weight: Approx. 1.5 grams. Features: This Beautiful Hand-Cut 14k Yellow Gold Hawaiian Pendant is Superbly Crafted With a Mixed Brushed and High Polish Finish Background. The Labor-Intensive Design Features a Single Cutout, Openwork Pu (aka Ole) (Hawaiian Triton's Trumpet Shell). The Outer Shell Portions Are Created With Ridges and Troughs. The Lower Trough Portions Are All Hand-Brushed and the Upper Ridges Are All Hand-Scraped to Expose the Underlying Shiny Gold Surface. The Overall Combined Hand-Cutting Techniques Display an Overall Shiny and Satin Appearance to Enhance the Detailing. The Spiraling Shell's Combination of Twisted and Curved Vertical and Horizontal Lines Accentuate the Overall Appearance. Item's Pictures Enlarged to Show the Fine Detailing. About the Triton's Trumpet Shell in Hawai`i: Triton is the common name given to a number of very large sea snails, predatory marine gastropods in the genus Charonia. The name "triton" is also often applied as part of the common name, to other, much smaller sea snails of the genus Cymatium, within the same family, Ranellidae. In Hawaiian, Tritons are called either Pu or `Ole (Large triton conch shell or helmet shell, as used for trumpets). Tritons are named after the Greek god Triton, who was the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. The shell of the giant triton, Charonia tritonis, which lives in the Indo-Pacific faunal zone, can grow to over 20 inches in length. One slightly smaller but still very large species, Charonia variegata, lives in the western Atlantic, from North Carolina to Brazil. Unlike pulmonate and opistobranch gastropods, tritons are not hermaphrodites; they have separate sexes and undergo sexual reproduction with internal fertilization. The female deposits white capsules in clusters, each of which contains many developing larvae. The larvae emerge free-swimming and enter the plankton, where they drift in open water for up to three months. Adult tritons are active predators and feed on other mollusks, starfish and the occasional slate pencil urchin. The giant triton has gained fame for its ability to capture and eat crown-of-thorns starfish, a large species up to 3 feet in diameter covered in poisonous spikes an inch long. This starfish has few other natural predators and has earned the enmity of humans in recent decades by proliferating and destroying large sections of coral reef. A struggle between a sea cushion star and a triton can last up to an hour before the sea star is subdued by the snail's paralyzing saliva. Tritons have be observed to turn and give chase when the scent of prey is detected. Some sea stars (including the crown-of-thorns starfish) appear to be able to detect the approach of the mollusk by means which are not clearly understood, and they will attempt flight before any physical contact has taken place. Tritons, however, are faster than sea stars and only larger starfish have a reasonable hope of escape, and then only by abandoning whichever limb the snail seizes first. The triton grips its prey with its muscular foot and uses its toothy radula (a serrated, scraping organ found in gastropods) to saw through the sea star's armoured skin. Once it has penetrated, a paralyzing saliva subdues the prey and the snail feeds at leisure. Tritons will ingest smaller prey animals whole without troubling to paralyse them, and will spit out any poisonous spines, shells or other unwanted parts later. Many people find triton shells attractive as a design object. In Hawaiian waters, Triton's Trumpets base themselves around volcanic rock and coral, and tend to stay close to home. In Hawai`i these snails are usually found in water 9-75 feet deep, but sometimes they live in shallower waters along surf-beaten coasts. For the early Hawaiians, seashells were a source of food (for example, opihi, pipipi and other wave zone molluscs were and are still commonly eaten), of adornment (cowries or "leho" in particular were strung into leis), of communication (tritons, conches), of lures (for squid) and as a material for fish hooks and weapons. Shells were a central part of Hawaiian life. However, as it turns out, all shells, including the Triton also play a unique role in the Hawaiian ecosystem. For example, the triton is one of the only predators that keeps the population of crown of thorns starfish under control. From ancient times, people of many different cultures have removed the tip of the shell, or drilled a hole in the tip, and then used the shell as a sounding trumpet. The triton shell has long been used by the ancient Polynesians, and even today as a trumpet. Its traditional uses are still active today as Native Hawaiians use tritons to herald and open their ceremonies with. Some native Hawaiians use it to call the kids home for supper, the Pu ho'okani (played sound from the shell) can be heard up to two miles away! Older Hawaiians use to call the workers in for lunch from tending the Taro fields. Hawaiian Legend of Puapualenalena and the Magical Kiha-pú: It is asserted on good authority that the Pu (Triton), when approached in its ocean habitat, will often make sudden and extraordinary leaps in an effort to escape. There is special reference here to the famous conch known in several Hawaiian Legends as Kiha-pu. The story covers an 8-year span, beginning after the already notable powers of Kiha-pu have been amplified by the actions of Kihanuilulumoku (Kiha), the 11th Ali`i Aimoku (Soverign King, High Chief) of the island of Hawai`i (1435 - 1465), in taking it to a cave on Mauna Kea and successfully arranging intercession from Lono, one of the four primary Ancient Hawaiian gods of peace, fertility and music. With the breath of Kiha, the shell sounded the tormented voices of the conquered chiefs whose teeth adorned its perimeter. Its sound, it is said, when created in Waipi`o Valley, could be heard on the plains of Waimea 10 miles away. Kiha-pu was kept inside the great Heiau (Temple) at Paka`alana, when on one day the valley's devilish `uhane (spirits, ghosts) of Kukuihaele, led by Ika, supernaturally stole Kiha-pu, and created all sorts of mischief with its sound. Kiha was greatly distressed. He went to considerable lengths to keep its loss secret, consulting only with kahuna (subject matter experts) sworn not to reveal the disappearance as he sought their recovery information. The revelations by the kahuna was puzzling and only distantly hopeful..."after a coconut tree planted by Kiha at the next full moon had borne fruit for him to eat, a creature without hands or malo (loincloth) would return Kiha-pu." Meanwhile, Ika and his band left the boglands above Waipi`o to travel to Kaua`i, making mischief along the way with the powers of their newly acquired Pu. They went from there to Waolani on O`ahu, where a dissident companion of Ika arranged for a kahuna to remove the mana (spiritual power) of Kiha-pu. A small pe`a (starfish) was placed on top of the shell, along with a kapu (forbidden) cross-mark cut, which rendered its sound ordinary. Ika’s efforts to discover and solve the problem resulted that Kiha-pu would sound with power again only on the Island of Hawai`i. Four days later, he and his comrades landed in Kawaihae and traveled to their old haunts above Waipi`o. Neatly coinciding with their return, Kiha’s carefully tended young tree gave him three coconuts...a part of his kahuna's prophecy! Ika, whose affinity for `Awa (an intoxicating drink), and noisy socialization with immortal companions disrupts the conscientious rituals of king Kiha so that everyone in Waipi`o grows uneasy at the incomplete status of obeisance to the gods. The king's `Aha rituals (a prayer or service whose efficacy depended on recitation without interruption) are continually ruined by the interference of the blowing trumpets. With each potation of `Awa, they sounded a blast upon their conch shells, and the racket was almost continuous from the setting of the sun until drowsiness overcame them or the coming of day put an end to their revels. Kiha-pu, was a conch of extraordinary size and credited with a divine origin and the possession of supernatural power; its note was heard above all the others. The tumult of sound made it impossible for the priests to perform acceptably the offices of religion, and the pious king was distressed beyond measure. The whole valley was disturbed and troubled with forebodings at the suspension of divine worship. Meanwhile, equally fortuitous was the capture of an `Awa thief. King Kiha's `Awa-patches were found to be suffering from the nocturnal visits of a thief. A watch was set; the thief proved to be a dog named Puapualenalena. A great thief and runner of Waipi`o valley who can take the shape of a dog and thus provide his kahu (master) with all possible good things. It was credited as being a Kupua (a supernatural being or demigod spirit able to possess several animal forms). Caught in the act of taking royal `Awa, the dog along with his master, who was seen as equally guilty, were brought to face the judgment of their ruler. While in the presence of the King, the shrewd monarch divined the remarkable character of the animal and offered the possibility of reprieve from a death sentence if he recovers Kiha-pu from the heiau of the `uhane near Kukuihaele. Puapualenalena was a large, mis-shapen brute who walked around on his hind legs, had a spotted sharp-nose with human-looking ears and a bluish coat of bristling hair. It had a long swinish tail, and one of its eyes was white and the other green. The appearance and manner of the dog was so extraordinary as to recall the prophecy of the kahuna as being the one without hands or malo as the instrument for retrieving Kiha-pu. When Kiha explained his need to the dog’s kahu, Puapualenalena understood as well. He dashed from the compound and up the Valley with a great rush. Under cover of night, Puapualenalena diminishes his size and slips through the enclosures to penetrate the camp. He then entertains the mischievous spirits as they dance throughout the night. When they fall asleep, he takes Kiha-pu, grows large enough to step over the walls and escapes. Racing away toward the Valley, he plunged down the steep ravine. Puapualenalena stumbles as he cleared six fences but hit the seventh. When he drops the shell, the attached pe`a, and the kapu mark, break off. In an instant, the liberated voices of the trumpet poured forth in a blast which echoed through the hills and started the night-birds to screaming. The gods awoke and pursued, but the dog hid in the waters of Hi`ilawe until they gave up. Puapualenalena then picked up his trophy, raced back to the mouth of Waipi`o, entered the compound, lay Kiha-pu at the feet of the king, and dropped dead beside it. Kiha immediately put the trumpet shell to his lips and all were heartened to hear its powerful sound emanating from a rightful source. The valley of Waipi'o again had peace. A second blast rallied warriors who swarmed the camp of Ika and put an end to the misdeeds of his band by slaying them all. History: The conch has been cherished by the chiefs of Hawai`i from ancient times to the time of Kamehameha I and Kamehameha III. It was said that a shell called Kiha-pu had been placed in the Hawaiian Museum until King Kalakaua took possession of it and it disappeared from public view. The King himself says of the shell trumpet, with an authority seemingly based on direct experience, "When vigorously blown, it still responds in sonorous voice, suggestive of the roar of breakers around the jutting cliffs of Hamakua." The place is still shown along the road leading down into Waipi`o where the Eepa (spirit) beings lived who disturbed the chief's repose with their eerie sounding of the sacred conch. A shell called Kiha-pu has been handed down by Kamehameha kings and is now preserved in the Bishop Museum, a small piece broken from it serving to motivate an incident which has since been incorporated into the legend. One can discern common elements in the various versions, as well as the variations from different tellers and different times. Shining through all the stories is the certainty that Waipi`o Valley and the lands above it were places of strange and powerful events in times past. For those who can find the right places and be still enough, the echoes of Kiha-pu and the wonderful events associated with it may still be sensed. Purchase Assurance of Quality: As Each of These Pendant's Are Hand-Cut and Hand-Textured, Each One is Slightly Unique to the Next For You to Enjoy. The Item's Picture/s Display All the Main Appearance Characteristics Provided With Each Pendant Purchased. Item's Pictures Enlarged to Show the Fine Detailing. Makes a Great Gift or Treat Yourself to Start or Add to Your Collection of Fine 14k Gold Hawaiian Jewelry. Stamped 14k for Assurance Mark of .585 Gold Purity. Made with "aloha". Certain High-Value Items Will Have Required Shipping Insurance to Protect Your Order’s Cost Value Against Shipping That is Lost, Stolen or Damaged by Others and Will Already Be Included in the FLAT Rate Shipping Cost. Please Understand We Should Not Be Held Responsible For Delivery Time Once Your Order Has Shipped as We Are Not the Individuals Delivering Your Package. We Ship Twice a Week on Wednesdays and Saturdays; and Daily During Traditional or Honoring Observance Holidays and the Christmas Shopping Season. USPS Express Delivery (2-Days Guaranteed) From Hawai`i for All U.S. Addresses. Please Feel Free to Contact Us With Any Questions. Live Aloha!


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