Diamond and opal earrings
Owned by Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop
This beautiful pair of opal and mine-cut diamond earrings belonged to Princess Pauahi Bishop, great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha I. Princess Pauahi received these earrings from Prince Lot Kapuaiwa, who would later become King Kamehameha V. Lot and Pauahi were traditionally betrothed to each other as children, but this union never came to fruition as Princess Pauahi married Charles Reed Bishop in 1850.
A year earlier, Lot traveled to Europe with his brother, Alexander Liholiho, and their guardian, Dr. Gerrit Judd, minister of foreign affairs to King Kamehameha III. After first visiting ports of call, including San Francisco, Panama, Jamaica, New York, and Washington D.C., the party arrived in Europe in January of 1850.
Though traveling for diplomatic purposes and meeting with various heads of state, the royal party was able to enjoy their stay in Europe with time for art museums, musical performances, social gatherings, and shopping.
While in Paris, on February 19th 1850, Lot recorded the following in his journal:
"After breakfast this morning we went out shopping. Alexander bought a ring for the Queen and a bracelet for Victoria. I also bought a ring for Bernice… the ring that I bought cost $8.00."
Prince Lot mentions several other Parisian shopping trips in his journal. And while these opal and mine-cut earrings he presented to Pauahi are not specifically mentioned, they do match the era and style of jewelry made in Paris at that time, leading us to believe that they were acquired during this diplomatic mission to Europe.