Leatherback

Lines of Life and Leatherback.

At Honu Handmade Jewellery, the sea turtle plays a fundamental role.

It gives the brand its name, provides direction for the workshop and instils a sense of responsibility in the creative process. Honu means ‘sea turtle’ in Polynesian. This word evokes the ocean, the journey, longevity, memory and a return to one’s origins.

Of the seven known species of sea turtle, one stands out with particular significance: the leatherback turtle.

The Leatherback

Its name already offers several layers of meaning. It evokes the instrument, with its elongated shape and taut lines. It also evokes the struggle, that of an ancient, immense species, now on borrowed time, whose survival depends directly on human choices.

This page exists to lay the foundations for this symbol at Honu Handmade Jewellery. It explains what the leatherback turtle represents, what sets it apart from other sea turtles, what it carries in its biological and cultural history, and why its conservation is an integral part of the brand’s identity.

The leatherback turtle inspires Honu through its silent presence, the power of its lines, its seven keels, its ability to cross the oceans, and its place in the history of life.

It also inspires through its vulnerability. This creature, capable of travelling thousands of kilometres, can see its future threatened by a net, a plastic bag, poaching, a ransacked nest or a degraded beach.

Honu Handmade Jewellery has chosen the leatherback turtle as its symbol with a clear intention. When a brand draws inspiration from a living creature, it also bears a share of responsibility towards it.

The leatherback turtle has a history older than our own.

The leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, is the largest living turtle in the world. It belongs to a very ancient lineage, linked to the history of sea turtles that have roamed the oceans for over a hundred million years.

It occupies a unique place in today’s world. It is the sole living representative of the Dermochelyidae family, whilst other living sea turtles belong to a different family. This biological uniqueness gives it a special value.

The leatherback turtle alone represents an entire branch of life still present in our oceans.

Its existence far exceeds our human scale. It traverses time with a body built for the open sea, long distances, deep dives and cold waters.

Its story speaks of adaptation, resilience and the quiet intelligence of life.

It predates humanity, still accompanies our era and now depends on our ability to protect it, as well as the environments it inhabits.

Its shell reveals its identity.

The leatherback turtle is first recognised by its back.

Its carapace has a very distinctive structure. It is formed of small interlocking bones beneath thick, dark, supple and leathery skin, supported by tissue and a layer of fat.

Its skin gives it its name, Dermochelys coriacea, which literally means ‘leather-backed turtle’.

This flexible shell gives it a distinctive appearance. It enables its deep dives, powerful movements and life in the open sea. It gives the body an organic, almost sculpted presence, far removed from the classic image of a hard, uniform shell.

Its seven keels.

The leatherback turtle has seven longitudinal ridges on its back, known as keels.

These seven keels run along its back from front to rear, defining its silhouette and contributing to its hydrodynamics. They accompany its swimming, its journey and the power of its movement.

At Honu, these seven keels become a subtle language expressed through its creations, which can be conveyed through reliefs or an array of gemstones.

This language links the animal’s biology to the brand’s identity.

The Leatherback bears its seven lines just as Honu bears its own with mastery, restraint and authenticity.

The leatherback turtle traverses the oceans with a calm power.

The leatherback turtle lives mainly at sea and travels very long distances between its feeding grounds and nesting beaches. Some migrations span several thousand kilometres. It follows currents, temperatures, food sources and marine routes largely hidden from human view.

It dives to impressive depths. Its body allows it to reach areas that very few reptiles can explore.

It feeds mainly on jellyfish and other gelatinous organisms, giving it an important role in the balance of marine ecosystems.

Its strength lies in its endurance.
It moves forward, dives, returns, lays its eggs, sets off again, and then starts all over.

It embodies a quiet power, profound endurance and a fidelity to the cycles of life as it traverses the oceans with determination, and always without haste.

This way of being and this robustness resonate with the Honu Handmade Jewellery spirit.

A robust piece is created without haste and with high standards. It demands precision and patience.

The handcrafted creation of Honu Handmade Jewellery proceeds with this same logic of active slowness: slow luxury.

In Polynesian culture, the turtle connects the land, the ocean and protection.

In many Pacific traditions, the sea turtle holds an important place.

It evokes longevity, wisdom, protection, travel and the link between land and sea. It leaves the open sea to return to lay its eggs on the beach, travelling great distances to return to its place of origin.

It connects worlds through its own movement

The name “Honu” carries this symbolic meaning.

For the brand, the leatherback turtle provides a direction that goes beyond a decorative image because it shapes the way we create, choose materials, find inspiration and think.

It connects the workshop to the ocean, jewellery to life, but also beauty to a sense of responsibility.

This symbolism finds a specific anchor in the leatherback turtle, through its seven keels, its ancient history and its journey across the world’s oceans.

In Central Africa, Kalunga traces the space between two worlds.

In Central Africa, the leatherback turtle takes on a concrete and symbolic dimension.

The coasts of Congo and Gabon welcome sea turtles that come to lay their eggs on the sand after long journeys. The leatherback lays its eggs there, then heads back out to sea. This return to land, followed by a departure for the ocean, gives its presence a particular power. It belongs to the water and returns to the land. It carries the open sea within its body and entrusts life to the sand.

This position between two spaces resonates with the concept of Kalunga.

In Kongo thought, Kalunga denotes a waterline, a threshold, a passage between the visible world and the ancestral world. It evokes the living boundary between two realities, the movement from one world to another, the cycle of life, transformation and return.

The leatherback turtle naturally embodies this idea.

It crosses the ocean, emerges onto the beach, leaves its trail in the sand, then disappears back into the water. It connects the marine world to the terrestrial world, origin to departure and birth to the journey. It always moves along a line of passage linking the continents.

The Kalunga capsule was born from this image.

It expresses this space between two worlds: water and land, the visible and the invisible, memory and matter, the protection of life and the craft of the workshop.

It gives a jeweller’s form to this threshold line with transitional pieces, expressing the same passages of the leatherback turtle between these two worlds.

For Honu, Kalunga serves as a way of linking personal history to the brand’s symbol. The Congo is part of my history, and today, the leatherback turtle is returning to lay its eggs on its shores after years of absence, thanks to the tremendous work of dedicated people.

The leatherback turtle brings these worlds together .

It embodies the sea, the land, memory, the journey and commitment. It gives Honu Handmade Jewellery a sensitive foundation and a concrete direction. With Kalunga, this direction takes the form of a threshold, the one we cross when beauty becomes responsibility.

Its future now depends on human choices.

Despite its robustness, the leatherback turtle is now listed on the IUCN Red List. Its global status is classified as vulnerable, with several sub-populations in a critical situation, particularly in certain areas of the Pacific, the south-west Atlantic and the south-west Indian Ocean.

This reality demands a clear understanding.

The leatherback has endured immense times. Today, it faces a mounting array of pressures, directly linked to human activities. Its future depends on protecting beaches, reducing bycatch, combating poaching, limiting plastic waste, preserving coastal habitats and adapting to the effects of climate change.

The figures are a warning and force us to take the situation seriously.

Threats come from both land and sea.

On beaches, eggs and hatchlings are naturally preyed upon by crabs, birds, certain mammals and carnivorous fish as they make their way to the ocean. Adults, thanks to their size, have far fewer natural predators, although large sharks or orcas may attack certain turtles.

These risks are part of the natural balance of life.

Human threats add a much heavier burden. Females may be poached when they come to lay their eggs. Eggs may be collected. Beaches may be destroyed, developed, lit up or rendered unsuitable for nesting.

Artificial lights confuse the newborns’ instincts. On the beach, they make their way towards the brightest part of the sea horizon, guided by the light of the open sky, the stars and the moon, reflected on the water. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) states that this behaviour occurs during all phases of the moon.

Field monitoring is changing the trajectory of a species.

Boötes belongs to the sky as a constellation, and to the ocean as the name given to a female leatherback turtle tracked by satellite, which was spotted at Juno Beach in Florida. The Loggerhead Marinelife Center states that she was first tagged on 20 May 2002, and has also been recorded by OCEARCH.

Several studies show that full moon nights reduce navigational errors, whilst moonless nights increase the risk of disorientation, especially when artificial lights compete with natural light.

For the leatherback turtle, this point is even more interesting. A review by the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology reports that during a full moon, the leatherback hatchlings observed headed very accurately towards the ocean, whereas during a new moon they were more likely to go astray, sometimes swimming in circles. The moon therefore plays an important role for the leatherback turtle as a light reference point.

At sea, nets, longlines, fishing lines and abandoned gear pose a major threat. A turtle caught in fishing gear can injure itself, become exhausted or drown. Collisions with boats also affect turtles when they come up to the surface to breathe.

Pollution poses a constant risk. The leatherback feeds mainly on jellyfish. Plastic bags, balloons, soft debris and certain floating waste can be mistaken for its prey. Ingesting these items can cause injury, blockages or death.

Climate change is also altering nesting conditions. Sand temperature influences the sex of hatchlings in sea turtles. Higher temperatures can skew the sex ratio of hatchlings, reduce egg viability or alter beaches through erosion, rising sea levels and storms.

Each threat affects a specific stage of their life. Together, they weigh heavily on the entire species.

Charities are changing the fate of nests and beaches.

The protection of sea turtles relies on patient and constant work on the ground.

Charities monitor nesting beaches, record tracks, protect nests, assist with hatchlings, track females, collect data and raise awareness among local communities. They also work with fishermen to reduce bycatch, improve fishing practices and free turtles caught in nets whenever possible.

This work requires consistency. It involves night patrols, education, dialogue, scientific surveys and a sustained presence in sensitive areas.

The organisations Te Mana o te Moana and Renatura Congo operate precisely along these lines. They work on the protection and study of sea turtles, monitoring beaches, nests and the species present along their coastline. Their actions bridge the gap between science, conservation and local communities.

This kind of commitment truly changes the trajectory of a species. A protected nest becomes one more chance, a preserved female becomes an extra nesting season, and a monitored beach becomes a safe habitat.

Honu is committed with a clear sense of responsibility.

Honu Handmade Jewellery partners with Te Mana o te Moana and Renatura Congo to support the protection of sea turtles and their habitats.

This commitment stems from the brand name, its symbol, my personal connection to the Congo, and the place the leatherback turtle holds in the Honu Handmade Jewellery identity.

It also stems from a simple conviction: beauty inspired by living things must contribute to their protection.

Honu donates 1% of sales from its entire jewellery range, and 5% from pieces in the Kalunga capsule collection when it is launched to coincide with events such as World Sea Turtle Day on 23 May each year.

23 May 2027 will mark the convergence of three worlds: craftsmanship, jewellery and marine sustainability.

This gesture places each creation within a broader context. A piece of Honu jewellery remains a creation of material, craftsmanship and time, but it also draws attention to its source of inspiration.

The leatherback turtle provides a direction. Its conservation gives it meaning.

Preserving the leatherback turtle is tantamount to protecting an entire world.

The leatherback turtle is at the centre of this page, but its story is linked to that of all sea turtles.

Protecting it also means protecting the beaches, nests, nesting grounds, migration routes, coastal waters, marine ecosystems and the human communities living nearby.

The sea turtle acts as a witness.

It reveals the state of the ocean, the quality of beaches, fishing pressure, the presence of waste and the fragility of ecological balances. Its fate tells a story that extends far beyond its own species.

Fighting for the leatherback turtle means preserving several species and choosing a relationship with the world that is mindful, practical and responsible.

The leatherback turtle moves in silence, crosses the oceans, returns to the beaches, entrusts its lineage to the sand, then resumes its journey. It invites us to create with an active slowness, to choose natural materials and to link beauty to real responsibility.

Isabelle Bénatouil
Jewellery Artist