Fraudulent Pupu 'O Ni'ihau lei - beware!

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

Interesting letter to the editor yesterday - about a couple who were visiting here - bought an expensive ';Ni%26#39;ihau Shell Lei'; (they thought) from a ';Lihu%26#39;e Retailer'; and then found out later it was not indeed from Ni%26#39;ihau.

Here is the letter - kauaiworld.com/articles/2009/04/29/opinion/l鈥?/a>

So be cautious when buying something advertised as a ';Ni%26#39;ihau Shell Lei'; - anyone can print up a ';Certificate of Authenticity'; I%26#39;m afraid - this poor couple did the right thing afterwards and filed a complaint against the business - since we have a law on the books that prohibits someone from advertising a ';Ni%26#39;ihau Shell Lei'; unless it actually comes from the island of Ni%26#39;ihau.

I was so happy to hear about what the Kanahele ohana did for them - I have purchased all my

Pupu %26#39;O Ni%26#39;ihau lei from Ehu Kanahele and they are truly generous, loving people - what they did there does not surprise me a bit!

So sad that these folks now consider Kaua%26#39;i the place where they experienced consumer fraud - I hope they feel differently about us sometime in the future - after all a majority of Kanahele ohana live here and sell their lei here (Ehu Kai in particular).

When spending $900 on a Pupu %26#39;O Ni%26#39;ihau - you need to make sure you get the ohana%26#39;s name that created the lei and a good background so you can check if anything comes up - I asked today at the Museum who told them - I think it was the lady in the gift shop - since we sell many Pupu %26#39;O Ni%26#39;ihau lei there.

Sad they were so unhappy with Kaua%26#39;i after this unfortunate incident.

Malama Pono,

Janet

Fraudulent Pupu 'O Ni'ihau lei - beware!

I have to agree with most of the comments to the letter in the newspaper.Why would you blame the whole island and never want to return? There are unscrupulous paople everywhere. I%26#39;m glad she had a happy ending but her blanket statement makes no sense.

Marie

Fraudulent Pupu 'O Ni'ihau lei - beware!

Sad story, but with a happy ending....Also wonder if she got her money back. I know people can get ripped off on the lei, but I was shocked at where it was purchased that it could have been a fake.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g28932-i36-k265863鈥?/a>

3Chihuahuas

There aren%26#39;t too many jewelry stores in Lihue and maybe they were taken too. Maybe some guy came in and said, ';sell these they are authentic';. Any reputable jeweler would take those ';pearls'; back in a heart beat.

What a lovely end to the story when she really did get authentic Ni%26#39;ihau pearls.

Good advice on buying any piece of jewelry. Know what to look for.

Thanks 3chis for forwarding that thread. Wow! I know that store at Kilohana and they have fabulous pieces of jewelry and very, very expensive. After this lady went to the Kauai Museum and they told her the necklace was a fake did she go back to the store? That is a very reputable dealer. I can%26#39;t imagine he wouldn%26#39;t take it back. Now look at the negative publicity it%26#39;s generating. Something just isn%26#39;t right with this story.

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

I know that most of the stores (if not all) at Kilohana are pretty highly regarded - but the problem is sometimes the kahelelani shell leis are being sold as ';Ni%26#39;ihau Shell Leis'; because these shells which are also found on Kaua%26#39;i (in much lower quality though) are a very popular shell in the true

';Pupu %26#39;O Ni%26#39;ihau'; - I%26#39;ve seen a few folks - mostly at crafts fairs thru the years who were talking about their ';Ni%26#39;ihau Shells'; when they are obviously

not actual ';Pupu %26#39;O Ni%26#39;ihau'; - you can also tell by the way the shells are strung - most are very specifically tied to various ohana from Ni%26#39;ihau.

I am surprised really that this retailer (who was anonymous in the letter to the editor) did this though - just about everyone knows that it is illegal to sell leis as one thing (even with a ';certificate';) when they are another. They should have known better and now their reputation is ';clouded'; at best.

Kinda sad story - especially since the people are so down on Kaua%26#39;i now.

Malama Pono,

Janet

Yes, I see something wrong in this too. Not saying it was a known fake and sold as authentic, but such a highly reputable dealer should have made damn sure of what they were selling. I sold diamonds for 12 years, you check, test and double check your stock. The lei are considered fine jewelry and can be insured as such. I鈥檓 thinking switcharoo behind the counter. I鈥檓 sure there鈥檚 more to the story.

3Chihuahuas

Too bad these folks are so down on Kauai right now because of this experience.

But here%26#39;s the irony in it - Niihau shell jewelry is sold throughout the islands. As such, chances are probably much greater that one would be sold a fake on Maui, Big Island, Oahu, etc. She just completely lucked out in coming face to face with the Kanahele ohana while they were at a show on Maui.

Now before anyone gets their dander up because I said it would be easier to sell a fake on the other islands, let me explain. I say this because of their proximity from Niihau and the probably lesser attention to authenticity of them and knowledge of them by the retailers and tourists to those islands. I%26#39;m not saying the retailers on those islands are overall less scrupulous. Just saying it might be easier to even unknowingly sell off a fake elsewhere.

Aloha from Kaua%26#39;i!

I agree with ';Napaguy'; on this one - because the push for the legislation that created the law against fradulent Pupu %26#39;O Ni%26#39;ihau came from Kaua%26#39;i and the fact that retailers here in general are much more akamai about these shells and their significance (not to mention the distinct possibility of running into someone actually from Ni%26#39;ihau!) - I think that you would be more likely to run into a ';fraud'; on another island.

I%26#39;m not sure if the kahelelani shells that are found here (mostly in the Anini area) are also found elsewhere in the island chain - but in the last few years I%26#39;ve noticed our crafters being very cautious about making it clear that these shells are not ';Pupu %26#39;O Ni%26#39;ihau'; - they are still very beautiful and can be made into lovely and expensive pieces - but not true Ni%26#39;ihau pupu.

I always recommend folks to purchase their

Pupu %26#39;O Ni%26#39;ihau lei from Ehu Kai in Port Allen - run by the Kanahele (Ehu Kanahele)ohana - my personal favorite.

Malama Pono,

Janet