Do You Remember... The Gold Dipped Maile Leaf
January 4th, 2010 by Rodney LeeAnother great column by Honolulu Advertiser's own Lee Cataluna - right up there in the MLC genre. This article appeared in Lee's column on 12/24/09. Mahalo Lee for letting me use your article.
A wish for Christmas, all dipped in gold
By Lee Cataluna
Thirty years ago, the gift every teenage girl in Hawai'i wanted for Christmas was a single, shining gold-dipped maile leaf.
Why? Who knows. Stranger things have been popular, like slap bracelets and Care Bears. Perhaps a maile leaf encased in gold of suspect quality summed up Hawai'i's take on the disco age: a bit of tradition meets the gilded aesthetic, sitting boldly mid-chest above the neckline of a three-quarter sleeve T-shirt. It said, "I'm hip and I'm local. Let's boogie."
Other fashionable variations popped up. High school girls hung the leaf pendants off one side of their hoop earrings like the singer from Bow Wow Wow. On Kaua'i, stores sold gold-dipped mokihana berries. And who could forget Danny Couch and his glorious gold-dipped maile lei set off by his white suit? It wasn't an entire maile lei thrown into the vat of gold, but rather individual gold-dipped leaves assembled perfectly along a gold chain to look just like a full thigh-length maile lei. When he turned on stage to sing to a different screaming lady in the audience, all the gilded maile leaves would clatter against each other like vertical blinds on a windy day. No, more romantic than that — like a thousand little pebbles on the shore. Only Danny Couch could make that look work.
Elementary school kids took field trips to the local gold-dipping "factory," which was really just two sweaty guys in a room off an auto body shop in the light industrial area. There, the magic of gold dipping was revealed, which was to say that all the kids left disappointed that there were no actual bubbling cauldrons of gold, just a tiny container about the size of a pot you'd use to heat a can of Campbell's soup. There was a science lecture about the process that confused half the class and bored the other half. Molecules, ions, whatever. Just get to the gold-dipping part. And do we get to wear goggles?
No goggles. No free samples, either. But there was a gallery of crazy stuff the workers had dipped in gold just to see if someone was nuts enough to buy it. Gold-dipped crown flower. Gold-dipped mynah bird feather. Gold-dipped cockroaches in various poses: tennis player, golfer, surfer. The big hit was a huge gold-dipped centipede curled around itself to form a bracelet. Lots of screams over that one.
So what happened to all those gold-dipped leaves?
There was one on eBay recently with one bid for a dollar. Sad.
Reach Lee Cataluna at lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.
What'd I tell you? A classic MLC memory, eh? Now all you girls out there, start digging through your jewelry boxes and find your gold dipped maile leaf. You still have it don't you?
Paula found her's:
And I didn't even have to polish it up!
There were a few on ebay starting at $9.99. And a whole bunch that ended with 0 bids - probably the same ones as they too started at $9.99.
You know, it's been a whole generation since these things were in. The younger generation probably doesn't even know they exist - unless they looked in their mom's jewelry box. All it takes is a few people to start wearing them again and the fad is revived.
But wait, let me corner the market on the ones on ebay first. 
As for the gold dipped cockroaches and centipedes - I'll pass on those.
So girls, do you still have your gold dipped maile leaf? Want to start a trend by wearing it again? And you guys, did you buy your girlfriend a gold dipped maile leaf as a token of your affection? Share your gold dipped maile leaf, crown flower, mynah bird feather, cockroach, and centipede memories.
Once again, thanks for the blog entry Lee.
Tags: Bow Wow Wow, Campbell's soup, Care Bears, Danny Couch, ebay, fad, gold dipped centipede, gold dipped cockroaches, gold dipped crown flower, gold dipped maile leaf, gold dipped mynah bird feather, Honolulu Advertiser, Lee Cataluna, maile lei, midlife crisis blog, Rodney Lee, slap bracelets, younger generation
January 4th, 2010 at 5:07 am
First? Really?
January 4th, 2010 at 5:21 am
YeeHaw
Good Morning Rod!
I don't have a gold dipped maile leaf, but I do have a gold dipped some-kind-of leaf, I'll wear it just for you. Not only do I have that... I have a gold dipped razor blade.
Now before you jump to conclusions....
I got it for Christmas from I don't remember who, thought it was pretty cool at the time (gold dipped craze and all). Before I could wear it someone told me what it symbolized, and I never ever wore it. But I never threw it out either.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:32 am
Good Morning. Oh oh, sally with her razor blades
Oh man that was da craze back then. Dat cockroach ones was funny. No, didn't waste my money on that one. I don;t even recall if I have the maile leaf either. Gotta go check.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:39 am
Good Morning Ynaku.
Gold dipped Cocqui?
Cockoaches and Centipedes. ugh make me (((shudder)))
ew
January 4th, 2010 at 5:46 am
I like Lee Cataluna's writing style, always cracks me up.
"all the gilded maile leaves would clatter against each other like vertical blinds on a windy day".
The girl is guud.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:52 am
What else could we NOT revive?
Unbuttoned shirts exposing gold chain(s)
Mark Spitz mustaches?
Mini skirts (on MLCers) had to give that one to the guys
Huge aviator glasses (Rod?... heh heh heh)
January 4th, 2010 at 5:53 am
Ynaku, our friends are not waking up again.
January 4th, 2010 at 6:01 am
Good morning sally. Yeah when you get "OLD" hard to get out of bed unless gotta go shishi.
January 4th, 2010 at 6:03 am
Trying to get my brain into work mode.
Not easy.
January 4th, 2010 at 6:20 am
@sally tell me about it. Don't know where to start.
I know, Breakfast 
January 4th, 2010 at 6:29 am
Ken's! Have some krunchy bacon for me.
*krunch krunch krunch*
January 4th, 2010 at 7:52 am
Oh my. I don't remember the original gold-dipped maile leaf fad, but the last time I was home (last September), I bought one!!! I paid lots more than $9.99 for it too, aigoo. I like leaf jewelry, though, so that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:25 am
Good Morning!
Back at work today. It was tuff getting up with the alarm rather than the sun this morning.
I remember the maile leaf craze. Think I was in intermediate school at the time. Gold chains were a big thing then.
Going a little further back. Remember the opihi shell craze?
January 4th, 2010 at 8:43 am
@Kage: yup, the opihi shell craze, the puka shell craze, then the paper shell craze. I still get my puka shells.
January 4th, 2010 at 9:18 am
@KAN- I remember going to a beach on the windward side to pick papershells. I cannot remember what beach it was, just that it was at the mouth of a stream flowing into the ocean.
January 4th, 2010 at 10:31 am
My cousin used to catch critters for the jewelers to dip in gold - I recall him catching centipedes, geckos, B-52s and scorpions
to sell. Dunno how much money he made doing that.
I don't recall anyone ever wearing those gold bugs - just the maile leaves.
I was partial to the lightning bolt pendant.
Well, until the rumors started spreading about how some kid fell down, and that lightning bolt stabbed him in the throat, and he died.
Struck down by lightning? Yikes!
January 4th, 2010 at 10:43 am
Good morning Rodney and MLCers!
Computer was down all morning, finally fix for now.
Now I gotta get to work!
January 4th, 2010 at 11:01 am
What about the Hawaiian jewelry wiht caligraphy writing that hit the state in the 90s. Every women had to get the pendent and the bracelets of various sizes. From the teeny tiney 1mm to the one that covered the entire wrist. Who has one with Kuuipo on it?
January 4th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
@ Sally - please let me know when you are going to wear your gold leaf, I don't know what spot you are going to cover but I hope you have 3, kidding, I no like be da first to get my a$$ kicked in da New Year.
Rod,
I never was into gold, maybe da kine from Kona, but that was about it. Maybe I should go corner da market on ebay, but bet some akamai jewler is reading this blog and goes, eh, that's so cool "RETRO" Gold dipped leaves.
To all Happy New Year, had a great time on Maui and at my check up everything is good except da upper number for my BP was a little high, oh well, better that than me
Nice to be back and now to get down to business "SURF'S UP", cowabunga dudes & dudettes. See u all later on da FB.
January 4th, 2010 at 1:03 pm
Howzit UR
I can remember the gold leafs
but forget if IKHEA get one 
going check with her later when she gets home 
NKHEA.... no can remember
another MLC moment 
January 4th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
You know, I not one MLCer (I'm 27) but my mama has from Colorado a Gold Dipped Aspen Leaf... I dunno but maybe same ting eh? was real pretty though... Bro got it for her when he went away to college... was a real nice son to mom gift... *points for braddah!*
NEO
January 4th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Another thing NKHEA cannot remember - what screen name he stay posting under.
Banana ... Thinks NKHEA had too many "leaves" in his youth
January 4th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
I remember buying one of the gold maile leaf, but dont know what happened to it. Can't even remember how much I paid for it, not much I guess.
Gold roaches and centipedes, fo real??
Still have my authentic puka shell necklace.
January 4th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
NKHEA OUTED himself.
January 4th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
auwe, I think kingmushroom has to change his name to IFOGET.
January 4th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I remember those things. They wuz big bucks back then. The first person I saw with a gold maile leaf lei was Nohelani Cypriano at a concert I went to in Hilo back in '80 or around that time. I was in awe.
I still have my Lightning Bolt pendant. That Gerry Lopez was sure popular back then.
January 4th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
Ho you guys. Now you got me wanting to go dig in my jewelry box and look for my Lightning Bolt pendant.
@sally - Yup, Lee Cataluna has a way with words. And when you talk story with her, she'll leave you laughing too.
@KAN - You recently bought a gold dipped maile leaf?
Ho, MLC Reality Check.
* I shouldn't talk. I recently bought a puka shell necklace. MLC Reality Check!
January 4th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
@Kage - Opihi shell craze? I don't remember that one. Maybe I was too poor. Could only afford the Pipipi shell.
@Ted - I remember a column Lee Cataluna wrote about those Hawaiian bracelets. Something about those HUGE barrel ones that looked like the girl was wearing a Coral tuna can on her arm.
January 4th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Rodney, think Wonder Women with those bullet proof bracelets.
As for the Opihi Necklaces, we use to be able to find those BIG HUGE Opihi's. We kept the shell, then later we sanded off the ridges leaving a nice white shell with different colors and rings etc. We then varnished it to make em shiny.. We then drilled a small hole and put a ring on it so we can string a chain through it. You can find others with intricate designs. I wasn't the artistic one.
http://www.kauaigems.com/hawaiian_jewelry/ophi_shell_necklaces/polished_opihi_shells.html
January 4th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
January 4th, 2010 at 6:31 pm
BHAHAHAHA! I'm cracking up!
NKHEA = king mushroom = NKREMEMBA Huuu, dat was good entertainment to come home to. Thanks NKHEA!
@Rod: I wish there was a recording of Lee Cataluna's classic Perry & Price Show when she did Aladdin. "Al Alladin" and "Jazmin... she was so pretty she was da kine Shari Shima pretty". I was driving to work the day I heard the replay on the radio. Cars around me thought I was kookoo I was laughing by myself.
January 4th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
They're still being made: http://golddippedleaves.com/ along with skeletonized copper colored, silver, oxidized silver (very gothic looking) aspen, maple, and 4-leaf clovers, gingko, acorns, peanuts in the shell (rattle them,and you can feel/hear them inside), etc. Saw this guy and his wife at the Whole Bead Show in the Hawaii suites this past weekend. He gets his maile from the Big Isle.
Lightning bolt pendant, italian horns, and I remember sp3rm earrings.
January 4th, 2010 at 7:48 pm
The guy will have a booth at the Douglas Trade Show this coming weekend.
January 4th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Trade Show is this weekend already?
Oh... yeah, just checked my pass thingie. Don't think I'll bee getting any of these things but will go look at 'em.
January 4th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
@TwoFish- Italian horn? What memory... I still have mine that I bought at Shirokiya Pearlridge shopping center.
January 5th, 2010 at 6:11 am
I remeber the gold dipped maile leaf but I didn't understand why they were so popular. Now puka shells are a different story.
January 5th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
i think i still have mine, somewhere! maybe in my jewelry box. in fact, i think i may have two... both of them gifts, while i was in high school. i really wanted one, but i don't remember wearing the first one i had very often. i don't even remember if i wore the second one!
kage/kan - i remember the opihi shell craze, the puka shell craze and the paper shell craze, too! don't remember where we went to collect them... was it maile beach for puka shells? paper shells? i dunno...
January 6th, 2010 at 4:05 am
I totally missed the gold dipped maile leaf thing; that was just after I moved to Chicago so I never had one. I definitely remember the other things mentioned, and still have some of them: paper shells, puka shells, Hawaiian gold jewelry. The jewelry fads I fell into personally were Maui Divers coral (pink, black and gold) and tricolor Black Hills Gold.
January 6th, 2010 at 10:20 am
ohhh man.. i dunno what the heck happened to my maile leaf... sigh.... oh well... guess I can get one now.. for $9.99 huh!
January 7th, 2010 at 6:35 am
Remember the Lightning Bolt pendants? I had one! OMG.
January 7th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Nope,
but I do remember the gold dipped wishbone. Wish I had made a wish to own one.
January 17th, 2010 at 3:55 am
YES !!!!! I still have mine and many from 1970 or so! Aloha!