The ginkgo leaf and its significance. The ginkgo tree is one of the living fossils that defies the changes of time and evolution. The plant with the striking leaf shape originated in China. In the meantime, the ginkgo is also at home in Germany. It is above all the lush yellow autumn colours of the foliage that make the tree so popular in gardens at home. The ginkgo became best known in German-speaking countries through a poem by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The verses from 1815 with the title Ginkgo biloba, the Latin name of the plant, are dedicated to the wife of a friend of the poet. The special leaf shape of the ginkgo represents yin and yang in the Asian region. It is said to represent the inseparable connection of the female and male principle, the correlation of emotion and power. The leaves also represent love and connection. Here, the connected part of the leaf at the petiole symbolises the common basis, while the two parts of the leaf edge represent individuality and free space. In Chinese and Japanese mythology, the tree appears again and again in stories and tales because there it is considered a symbol of a long life and wish fulfilment. In Japan, the ginkgo is a protected species. The symbolism of the ginkgo gained a boost when the tree near the temple of Hiroshima burned in 1945 as a result of the atomic bombing. In the same year, new shoots formed again and the tree survived. The completely destroyed temple was rebuilt and the new staircase, in the middle of which stands the ginkgo, was modelled on the tree's leaf. #VIKAjewels #ginkgobiloba #ginkgotree #ginkgo #johannwolfgangvongoethe #bali #berlin #ginkgojewelry #gingko