MIMOSA's Pelican Jewelry Collection | A Louisiana-Inspired Staple

The Pelican in Louisiana: Learn More About What Inspired Our Pelican Jewelry

If you call Louisiana home or have spent time here, you may have noticed the presence of the pelican throughout our culture. After all, the Brown Pelican is our state bird. It lives on our flag, soars over our homes, and swims in our waters.

Pelicans embody the story of self-sacrifice. Myth or not, we know her as the mother who pierces herself to feed her young, an image you'll find depicted on the state flag.

The Brown Pelican officially became the state bird of Louisiana in 1966, even though the bird had disappeared from the state just years prior, primarily due to the pesticide DDT. Brown Pelican chicks from Florida were reintroduced to the state. Learn more about the Queen Bess Island Wildlife Refuge.

Learn more about pelicans, their importance here in Louisiana, and how they inspired MIMOSA Handcrafted's pelican jewelry collection. Browse our pelican jewelry collection to find a piece that speaks to you and connects you to the state's culture.

Fun Facts About Pelicans

You'll find pelicans on all the world's continents except Antarctica.
There are eight species of pelicans. The two found in North America are the American White Pelican and the Brown Pelican.
With a wingspan of approximately 6.5', the Brown Pelican is the smallest pelican species.

Check out these three resources below for even more fascinating facts about pelicans!

Ologies Podcast Episode — Pelicanology (PELICANS) with Juita Martinez
Robert Dobbs is the nongame avian ecologist for the Wildlife Diversity Program, Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries. Below is a recording of his 2022 talk at the Main Library — Goodwood in Baton Rouge titled "Louisiana Brown Pelicans: Past, Present, & Future."

Rien Fertel's book, "Brown Pelican"

Origins of MIMOSA's Pelican Jewelry

The pelican jewelry collection lived in my mind for years before we cast it into something physical, something I could hold in my hand, something we could wear. I was making jewelry, but my skill set and equipment limited me to small two-dimensional pieces.

The pelican, though, wouldn’t leave me alone. For years, I sketched, dreamt, sculpted, and attempted to bring it to life however I could. When we finally had the equipment and barely the know-how to begin lost-wax casting years later, the pelican was the first piece I carved and brought to a three-dimensional form. Thus, MIMOSA's pelican jewelry collection was born.

-Madeline

Shop the Pelican Jewelry Collection

Shop the Pelican Bar Necklace — Large
Shop the Pelican Bar Necklace — Small
Shop the Pelican Rising Earrings — Large
Shop the Pelican Rising Earrings — Small
Shop the Pelican Rising Pendant — Large
Shop the Pelican Rising Pendant — Small
Shop the Pelican Ring
Shop the Petite Pelican Cuff
Shop the Pelican Cuff

When you visit the MIMOSA Shoppe in Baton Rouge, LA, you'll find the original sketch for the Pelican Cuff on display alongside the first pieces we molded and cast into metal.

Pelicans in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Although the Brown Pelican is our state bird, the American White Pelicans visit us annually here in Baton Rouge. Toward the end of each year, these beautiful birds fill the skies and nestle together on the lakes.

The pelican is a symbol of home for any Louisianan, but it's also a symbol of homecoming. They leave us in early spring and glide back in early fall. We collectively feel a shift in our spirits to another season, a recognition of time passed, and a welcoming of what’s to come. It's a time to be with our feathered friends.

And as a town, we stop, awestruck, to marvel at them, enjoying each moment they're here.

Pelicans on the Lake in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Pelican-Inspired Artwork

We're not the only ones celebrating the pelican through our pelican jewelry work. Scroll through these pelican-inspired pieces and appreciate each artist's take on our favorite bird.

Chase Mullen's Pelican Artwork is on display at the MIMOSA Shoppe in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Denise Barringer's Pelican Print

Pixel + Ink Creative's Louisiana Poster -- The Pelican State

Pelican Artwork by Nicholas Miner

Tyler Darling Motherhood Louisiana Print

Tyler Darling's "Motherhood - Louisiana Print"

If you love this bird as much as we do, consider letting one of these pelican pieces nest among your MIMOSA favorites with our pelican jewelry collection.

Pelicans on the Lake in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at Sunset

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Shop the MIMOSA Handcrafted Pelican Jewelry Collection.