Ni`ihau shell necklace

i would love to buy my wife a unique gift from hawaii to celebrate our wedding anniversary(plus skipped a birthday present to save for gift on trip).i found posts on the kauai forum about shell necklaces.we are visiting oahu,maui,and the big island.are there any options to buy a genuine ni`ihau shell lei or smaller necklace?.if so any information on getting an original item without passing through to many hands before us?.we will be in hawaii in may(so excited,only 5 weeks to go).regards ian

Ni`ihau shell necklace

They have a store at the Outrigger Waikiki next to Duke Canoe Club that sells things made in Hawaii. I think I have seen the shell necklaces there before. I would also try the jewelry stores at Ala Moana Center.

Ni`ihau shell necklace

Make sure you get one that was actually made on Ni%26#39;ihau.

Ian -- Ni%26#39;ihau shell jewelry isn%26#39;t for everyone. The necklaces tend to be heavy (IMHO), scratchy (IMHO) and the colors are not for everyone either. And the necklaces are expensive.

You will find SO many wonderful opportunities to buy Hawaiian themed or keepsake jewelry. My recommendation would be to take her to one of the Na Hoku jewelry store on Front Street in Lahaina and let her choose her own gift. Na Hoku can be found on Oahu and other places on Maui as well.

Maui Divers is another popular jewelry store (they seem to be everywhere!) and Phillip Rickard has an heirloom shop on Waikiki. But our favorite has always been Na Hoku ... lots of Na Hoku fans on TA.

One more word to the wise -- give yourself some time to explore your options.

www.nahoku.com/NaHoku/StoreLocations

Make sure you do your research. You%26#39;ll spend a good amount of money for the real thing. This link gives a lot of good information. Not all lei being sold are actually made from shells found on Ni%26#39;ihau. Make sure you get a certificate of authenticity and the family name of the maker.

manandmollusc.net/Niihau/Niihau-shells.html

Side note - I%26#39;ve always been told the plural of lei, is still lei---not leis. Even the site I listed refers to leis......

3Chihuahuas

They Totally Hawaiian store in Whaler%26#39;s Village on Maui carries a lovely selection of Ni%26#39;ihau lei. I have a triple strand pikake which I only wear on special occasions. I had a shadow box built for it and it hangs on our livingroom wall as a piece of art...which it is! Just make sure you get authentication. Have fun shopping!

thanks for the great replies.i will make sure my wife gets to choose what she likes.she is petit and will have to judge what will suit.regards ian

I bought my wife 2 Niihau shell necklaces at the Bishop Museum long ago (70%26#39;s) so I am confidant they are authentic.But at the time they came with no authenticity. Does anyone in the Islands know if there is a place she can take the 2 necklaces to have them appraised and authenticated. We will be visiting Kaui and Oahu in early August 09.

I would post your question on the Kauai Forum...I%26#39;m sure their experts can point you in the right direction...I know several places on Maui but nothing particular on Oahu or Kauai. Good luck!

In Oahu you can look at Native Books Na Mea at the Ward Warehouse jus past ala Moana Center. It has some very nice hawaiian made products I know I saw some Ni%26#39;ihau necklaces there last year.

I got a really beautiful carved koa wood and bone honu pendant made by an artist on Oahu it is very special to me.

This is a very nice store and has a good selection of diffrent items and books.

Aloha Marie

On the Big Island, you can buy ';guaranteed'; Ni%26#39;ihau jewelry (many styles of necklaces and earrings) at Kona Jewelers (75-5725-A Ali%26#39;i Drive; 808/329-8434). I drop by there on every trip to check out what they have at that time. A woman named ';Roma'; is my favorite salesperson there--she%26#39;s passionate about Ni%26#39;ihau jewelry and loves to tell about it and let you try on oodles (and I%26#39;ve never even *bought* one yet).

There are also some Ni%26#39;ihau pieces almost always at the gift shop at the Hulihe%26#39;e Palace down the street from Kona Jewelers.

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