the meaning & symbolism of trees

In almost every culture on earth, past or present, trees carry a deep symbolic potency—a sort of gravitational force that draws together the human spirit and the meaningfulness of nature. 

Trees exist in our mythologies and our traditions, in our spiritual practices and even within our own bodies. Did you know that there is a system of nerves that roots our brain to our spine which bears remarkable resemblance to the intricate branches of a tree? This is called the “abor vitae”, translated as “tree of life” in Latin, and it is essential to our existence. 

Able to live for thousands of years, it’s no wonder we look to trees as our ancestors, as the keepers of great knowledge and wisdom. For this reason, we want to get you more familiar with the meaning and symbolism of trees.

The “Tree of Life” symbol appears in many variations across time and cultures. Buddhism has the great “Tree of Enlightenment” that serves as the final destination of a spiritual quest of enlightenment. Ancient Persian mythology has many different sacred icons of trees to represent eternality, life, and healing. In Irish folklore, Hawthorn trees are revered as symbols of protection. The Tree of life also features in many First Nations’ mythologies, such as the Iroquois myth of “The World on the Turtle's Back”, where life on earth grows from the planted bark of a heavenly tree.  

With hundreds more examples of human beings' deep connection to the lifeforce of trees, our design team has always been attuned to the way trees still play a crucial role in our lives today. Our Tree of Life collection was inspired by all that trees represent: wisdom, protection, strength, abundance, and knowledge.

Below we’ve put together a list of different trees and their meanings, plus a piece of handmade tree jewelry from our collection that we feel shares that tree’s ethos.

Pine: the tree of friendship and friendship in the face of adversity. To celebrate the meaning of the pine tree, we suggest our Larger Imprint Necklace. This gold pendant necklace is engravable, meant to represent how those closest to you leave indelible marks on your soul.

Pear and apple trees: both pears and apples trees are symbols of new life and possibility. As such, we would pair them with our Seedling Earcuff. This dainty ear cuff carries all the hope of a new seedling and is a great piece to honour how far you’ve come as a person.

 Olive: the olive tree is the tree of security and peace. Our embrace branch stacking ring goes well with the meaning of the olive tree as it was inspired by a tree’s ability to teach us to bend to the forces beyond our control and seek out that which brings peace and growth into our life.

Fig: the tree of wisdom, pleasure, and creation. Fig trees celebrate some of the most precious things in life, so we want to honour them with our tree of life carved medallion pendant necklace. This handmade gold tree pendant is a symbol of all that trees represent and encourages us to explore every corner of our world.

Sequoia: the largest trees on earth and able to withstand fire, sequoias are the trees of resilience and life. Embrace the internal strength of the mighty sequoia with our tree of life mini coin bracelet. This gold tree charm bracelet teaches you to dig your roots deep so that you may stand tall through any challenge.