midori jewelry

turquoise falls + forest serenade

a quick glance at the ingredients that are mixed up for one of midori jewelry's signature gemstone concoctions finds one hopping across the globe with opals from peru, amethysts from brazil, and silver from thailand. hawaii is the final stop on this trip around the world and is home base for midori's designer, oahu's traci morinaga, who decided to take an unexpected detour from law school and turn her crafty hobby into a business when motherhood beckoned. 

many of the midori creations are one of a kind but if you have your heart set on a piece that has been sold, no worries, since traci will play off the design to make something uniquely your own. custom work is also an option which is a sweet idea for brides-to-be and their wedding parties.

in addition to midori's online shop, you can check out the goods in person at one of the many craft fairs scheduled on oahu this holiday season.

nine tail fox studio

ebony wood + sterling silver triple band ring

while clicking around etsy i was thrilled to discover the fabulous nine tail fox studio. fran and anson, the husband and wife team who must have lot of fun in their honolulu studio, are creative souls working hard to bring design with a modern edge and some much needed irreverent style to the islands.

abstract wave

in addition to their very cool jewelry designs made of wood, nine tail fox also has a number of resin pieces with a japanese touch. for those who are interested in life behind the scenes, check out ntf's blog about the creative process which is a fun read for armchair diy'ers who daydream about casting and welding. 

and - fyi - all orders also enjoy complimentary shipping via first class mail!

noelani designs

malia + olivia

if you haven't been to first friday in chinatown then you are definitely missing out on one of the more bohemian things to do around the islands. one of the highlights for me was noelani designs (who just happens to be one of the designers who participated in urban pacific last weekend) who was showing her work at one of the galleries when i checked it out this summer.

marguerite

the pieces strike just the right balance between flirty and unfussy so people will notice you first then your jewelry. a few cool things to know is that noelani is happy to customize designs to your liking, and, if you ever have a problem, you can send it back to be fixed so your favorite earrings can live on to enjoy your next adventure.

made by pua

floating circle * kukui * puka

one look at pua jewelry and you'll immediately see why the line is "inspired by sun, sea and surf". self taught designer lauren hewett creates each piece of jewelry by hand which would explain why a bit of soul seems to linger on. i love her minimal kukui necklace and modern interpretation of the classic puka shell.

pua jewelry is stocked at a few boutiques in the islands and can also be found on the mainland at ron herman and american rag. you can also order online but just remember this is not instant gratification jewelry since each piece is made to order with a 2-3 week wait before the postman comes a knockin'.

{update | jan 2010: please note that lauren has shuttered the made by pua website, however her designs continue to be offered on seaweed boutique, her new-ish online storefront}

hidden jools

the september issue of lucky gave some love to jools, a jewelry line created by island girl and current l.a. resident sybil shimazu. her romantic victorian bohemian collection is just the thing for fall with its lacy filigree designs in unexpected jet black (gothy and fabulous, wouldn't you say?).

if you simply cannot live without a splash of color, jools has many pretty and bejeweled pieces to adorn you like these lovely dark blue quartz earrings and this seriously show stopping coral/olive quartz/peridot pendant. fair warning: you may experience sticker shock but in a very good way.