Collection: Hummingbird Jewelry

What the hummingbird means

Joy, and specifically the deliberate kind. The hummingbird is the only bird that can truly fly backwards, it can hold a hover for as long as it likes, and it does all of it at a metabolic rate that would kill anything larger. To get through a cold night it drops into torpor, a near-shutdown, and has to feed again first thing.

That combination is the symbol: enormous energy, and no capacity to coast. It's read as a reminder to take the sweetness where you find it, because the hummingbird's entire economy depends on doing exactly that.

In Aztec belief the hummingbird was tied to Huitzilopochtli, and fallen warriors were said to return as them. In Andean tradition they're messengers between worlds — the Nazca lines include one, drawn 300 feet across.

Why people wear it

This is the piece bought for people who are going through something and need permission to still enjoy things. It's also, very commonly, a memorial piece — the messenger-between-worlds reading runs deep, and a lot of people associate a hummingbird at the feeder with someone they've lost.

Choosing a piece

Hummingbirds are drawn mid-hover, which means the design usually has a long tail and an extended beak — both of which want a bit of size to read properly. Teal Austrian crystal and coloured zircon stand in for the real iridescence, which comes from feather structure rather than pigment and shifts with the light.

Pendants run from a small teal crystal bird to a large gold-plated statement piece and a long-chain bird in flight. Rings come in sterling silver or an adjustable flower design. Earrings go from tiny studs to flower drops.

What you're buying

925 sterling silver, gold-plated sterling silver, stainless steel or gold filled — stated on each listing, along with any crystal or zircon.

Fine beaks and tails are the wear points — store flat, not tangled. Our jewelry cleaning guide covers detailed pieces.

Mystic Soul Jewelry — Canadian small business, Calgary, Alberta, since 2008.