Hooked on a bracelet from St. Croix
Above: From Sonya Ltd. in St. Croix, home of the original Crucian hook bracelet The Crucian hook bracelet, a simple band of silver and gold clasped by a hook, is associated with the Virgin Islands, but its original origins is lost in time. Some say the bracelet was brought to the islands by European settlers, that it was a version of a Danish wedding band. Others claim that it came from Africa where archeologists have found bracelets and fishing hooks made from various metals. Another legend says they were worn by wives of fisherman who would turn the hook outward when their husbands went out to sea, and then turn it inward when they were due to return in order to assure that they would come home safely. Most agree that the bracelet was given a rebirth in 1964 when Sonya Hough of Sonya Ltd., a small jewelry store on Company Street in Christiansted on the island o...
