My guess is that you are asking yourself “what in the world does Cornaceae mean, and why is this jewelry company using it as it’s name?”.  All good questions!  My family and closest friends have all asked me the same. 

 

So here is the story.

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For months I had been trying to decide on a company name for this crazy business I was jumping into, but nothing felt right.  I was on my way to pick up Isabel, my daughter AND the company’s Creative Director, from school one beautiful spring day.  I kept hearing my husband’s voice asking me if there was a word, a name, a saying that meant something special to me, maybe something from my childhood.  Believe me, I had been thinking about this for quite sometime and nothing was sticking.  So, in my usual fashion when I can’t figure out something myself, I ask for a little divine intervention.  This comes in different forms for different people and I respect that, but for me it is the Holy Spirit.  So I said a little prayer and kept driving to Isabel’s school.  I was about half way there and I looked out the window at all the new spring life around me and noticed a beautiful Dogwood tree in full bloom.  I thought, that’s it!  The Dogwood Tree!!!  We always had beautiful Dogwoods in our yard growing up.  Getting to Isabel’s school a little early, I googled Dogwood Designs.  Of course that was already taken, BUT what I stumbled across blew me away…..The Legend of the Dogwood! 

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We all know that a legend is a legend!  Believe what you want; but for me, I love a good legend.

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The legend of the dogwood tree actually comes from a poem, author unknown, about the relationship between the tree that became the cross on which Jesus was crucified and Christ himself:

In Jesus' time, the dogwood grew
To a stately size and a lovely hue.
'Twas strong and firm, its branches interwoven.
For the cross of Christ its timbers were chosen.
Seeing the distress at this use of their wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:
"Never again shall the dogwood grow
Large enough to be used so.
Slender and twisted, it shall be
With blossoms like the cross for all to see.
As blood stains the petals marked in brown,
The blossom's center wears a thorny crown.
All who see it will remember Me
Crucified on a cross from the dogwood tree.
Cherished and protected, this tree shall be
A reminder to all of My agony."

Many of you are probably thinking “how do we really know what tree the cross was made from?”.  Technically you are right – we don’t know.  Honestly, from what I have read, it's unlikely the cross was actually made from a dogwood tree. But I love the story and I love the traits the Dogwood Flower exhibits which remind us of Jesus’ love.  If you look at most Dogwood flowers, each flower has four petals representing the four corners of the cross.  On the end of each petal, there is an indentation marked with a deep red, symbolizing the nail and the wounds of Christ. The red stamens of the dogwood flower represent Jesus’ crown of thorns and the clustered red fruit on the branches represent his blood.

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After all that, it still doesn’t explain Cornaceae!  So here is the Wikipedia version of the term “Cornaceae”:

“Cornaceae is a cosmopolitan family of flowering plants in the order Cornales. It contains approximately 85 species in two genera,[1] Alangium and Cornus. They are mostly trees and shrubs, which may be deciduous or evergreen, although a few species are perennial herbs. Members of the family usually have opposite or alternate simple leaves, four- or five-parted flowers clustered in inflorescences or pseudanthia, and drupaceous fruits.[2] In northern temperate areas, Cornaceae are well known from the dogwoods Cornus.”

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Cornaceae is the family that the dogwood is part of, but most of all, I like the sound of Cornaceae and I love the Legend of the Dogwood.  It’s just that simple!