Tuesday, 21st February 2006 (4014 views)

Louisiana jewellers have reported a huge rise in sales of fleur-de-lis jewellery since Hurricane Katrina.

Residents have rushed to buy jewellery depicting the New Orleans symbol in defiance of the floods that devastated the area last September.

Drawing on New Orleans' French heritage, the fleur-de-lis is a stylised lily with three petals drawn together at the base.

Having always been a popular motif among jewellers in the region, sales of fleur-de-lis designs have taken off in the last few months as residents rallied around the Big Easy.

One Virginia jeweller told the Times Picayune that sales of fleur-de-lis pins, earrings and pendants tripled in 2005.

"The challenge that we've had is that we're selling faster than we can produce," said Virginia Saussy Bairnsfather of Mignon Faget.

Another jeweller said that she has sold more than 22,000 silver badges based on the badges worn by the New Orleans police force.

The fleur-de-lis came into prominence in 12th century France and the design was famously carried into battle by Joan of Arc.

 

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