Owl Jewelry: Something to Give a Hoot About

Posted by Laurie Zeiden on May 16, 2016

Birds are a very popular jewelry motif and I have so many examples of birds in jewelry that I decided to subdivide them. This is my presentation on owls. Lots of photos to scroll through with a few facts along the way.

Owls are birds of prey, but unlike other birds of prey, an owl has an upright posture and forward facing eyes. Their eyes are set in bony sockets so they can't turn them. That's why an owl turns its head. The bird has a 270 degree range of movement -- 135 degrees to each side.

Iconic Owl Pin by Master Mexican Silversmith William Spratling

Jomaz Owl Pin

Unsigned Sash Pin

Trifari Pin

Fishel Nessler Pin

Owls have two front-facing toes and two rear-facing toes; all with talons for gripping prey. A barn owl can eat up to 1,000 mice annually. No wonder farmers love them.

Coro Duette

The Coro Duette is two pins in one. A bracket holds two fur clips into position creating a single brooch.

Depending on your source, there are 150-200 species of owls in the world. The greatest diversity of owls is found in Asia. There are only 19 species in North America. Fortunately, available owl jewelry isn't as limited.

OWL PINS

Two Versions of Eisenberg Artist Series Pins

Pin by Art

Unsigned Two Tone Pin

Hobe Fur Clip

Avon Pin

Ciner Pin

Opro Pin

Hollycraft Pins

Alice Caviness Owl Pin

Unsigned Fur Clip

Trifari Owl Pin

Reja Pin

David Anderson Owl Pin

Coro Pin

Kenneth Jay Lane Owl Pin

Made in Germany Pin

Sarah Coventry Pin

Trifari Pin

Swoboda Pin

Unsigned Pin

Made in Mexico Pin

A group of owls is called a parliament and a group of infants is a clutch. A single baby is referred to as an owlet. I don't think I've seen more than a single owl at a time. Parliament must be out of session.

Unsigned Silver Pin

OWL PENDANTS AND NECKLACES

Unsigned Pendant

Made in Norway Pendant Necklace

Trifari Pendant

Mixed Metals Pendant from Mexico

Owls in jewelry were particularly popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Articulated owls were all the rage. The four following examples of jointed or articulated owls are unsigned.