Monarch Butterfly Necklace

Reviews for Shirley’s Monarch Butterfly Necklace

Monarch Butterfly Necklace

Artist Shirley Matteson was inspired by butterflies of all colors when she began designing this line of butterfly necklaces. She’s created one for almost every color, along with a rainbow butterfly and even a peacock-colored one! But for this particular piece, she wanted to create a more realistic version of her Cloisoinné butterfly. Staying true to the colors of the iconic Monarch butterfly, she designed and created this gorgeous Monarch butterfly necklace.

The Importance of the Monarch Butterfly

The Monarch butterfly is well known for its gorgeous orange wings, defined in black outlines and highlighted with white spots. This necklace recreates the iconic design of the Monarch, using luminous oranges combined with bold black and white. The tiny gold 22k wires that form the partitions of the Cloisonné butterfly blend in perfectly with the yellow and orange tones of the Monarch’s wings.

They are also one of the most easily recognizable butterflies, because of their iconic colors and design. It’s thought that they were named ‘Monarch’ in honor of King William III, as he was the Prince of Orange. They are truly the king/ queen of butterflies, and can represent strength and trust.

Monarch butterflies are famous for their migration, truly a phenomena of the natural world. Every year, millions of monarchs fly up to 3,000 miles from Canada and the US to Southern California and Mexico. How do they do this? They actually have a magnetic compass to help them navigate. Monarchs have spread all over the world, and currently can be found in Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.

Because of this association with migration and travel, Monarch butterfly designs make great gifts for travelers and those who are moving somewhere new to begin a new life. They also represent endurance and a belief in staying the course, and bring that meaning to gifts as well. Monarchs make a great gift for those who are completing a long and arduous task, such as graduating from college, completing a PhD, retiring, or finishing a marathon. Their ability to navigate from an internal compass can bring peace to those who feel lost or need to learn to trust their inner guide, and those who might need a guiding light from time to time.

Creating these Jewels

To create these gorgeous jewels, Shirley uses an ancient technique called ‘Cloisonné.’ This is a old Chinese jewelry making technique in which you first form tiny 24k gold filaments to create the partitions of the design. She bends this small wires to create little cells that will hold the glass enamel. Once she shapes the outline of the butterfly and partitions, she fills it in with pieces of glass enamel. After firing the piece, the beautiful bright oranges, golds, and yellows of the Monarch emerge. Shirley then polishes the butterfly to highlight its luminous wings and bold colors.

If you’re looking for a smaller Monarch Butterfly neckclace, try this one.
Or, if you love the colors and style of the monarch, but want something a little different, check out our Monarch Medallion Necklace. It’s created and handcrafted with the same skill and care as our Monarch Butterfly necklace, but in a round design that highlights the gorgeous colors of the monarch.