golden child jewelry

diana + hana

jewelry designer seems to be the job du jour these days but there's a lot to love from golden child, the line created by moanalua grad & now maui-based andrea akeo. handcrafted designs like the diana necklace have an inspired mix of kukui nuts, turquoise & mother of pearl yet are still super wearable.

i had more than a few déjà vu moments of rummaging through my mom's jewelry box circa 1979 (good times!) while checking out the earring collection (hana shown above). lucky for you, the designs from golden child have been updated so they are not only playful but have just enough sophistication to please any modern day island girl.

maui hands

next time you have an urge to check out the hawaii art scene all you need to do is click your mouse. my mom took me to maui hands years ago and their website has a nice mix of local artists online. i really like melinda morey's paintings (watching ka'anapali shown above) which i find to be very evocative of old hawai'i.

you'll have lots of fun clicking around and checking out the glassworks, ceramics and other artwork including lauhala baskets & bracelets by susan jenson and pratima design's modern interpretation of maile jewelry.

fresh ginger

dawn patrol + she sold seashells

indie designers from hawaii have been getting a lot of buzz lately and ginger13 definitely deserves all the recent accolades. designer cindy yokoyama's fresh take on designs influenced by nature are bold and fun and just the right thing when you want to add a little flair to your outfit.

a few of my favorites from her spring 2006 collection include dawn patrol and she sold seashells. cindy's jewelry is handmade and many of the objects in her designs feel like they have been discovered while beachcombing. ginger13's online shop recently launched and the line is also stocked at a few boutiques in the islands as well as on the mainland.

janet jewelry

lady luck + danger boy

while public school kids were making paper trays in woodworking & key chains in metal shop, the students over at punahou were dabbling in silversmithing. this is one of the more interesting nuggets i picked up at janet jewelry's website. island girl/jewelry designer janet masamitsu is based in nyc now where she creates a nice mix of affordable pieces like these lady luck earrings (perfect for that next trip to vegas).

in addition to sterling silver styles, janet also designs limited edition pieces like the triple drop smokey quartz necklace and many of her pieces can be customized. she also designs stuff for guys like these danger boy cufflinks that captain jack sparrow might fancy (arrr!). shop online or visit her boutique when you're in nyc.