We are on lockdown week 5 here in Hawaii. Household necessities and grocery shopping every 2 weeks or so has been the only time I leave the house (unless you count the daily walks around the block). So, to keep my creative mind busy, I have been working on jewelry pieces, to sell and give as gifts. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve shared or discussed my jewelry pieces here on the blog. I figured I would share with all of you, and have a chitchat kind of post today.
How it began
Several years ago, I had an online shop called: HoneyXO. I sold handmade jewelry pieces and also had my own Indie Cosmetic line. About two years ago and sister and I started selling our pieces (including jewelry and planner accessories) at local craft fairs here on Maui. Since I have a little more time on my hands, (well, not really with distance learning and working from home, but I digress) I started making more pieces to get my creative juices flowing again.
Bangles & Bracelets, Wire wraps – Oh My!
I’ve been working on more wire pieces lately. I think the wire wrapping aspect of these pieces has allowed me to get stress out of my mind and freely wrap away the humdrum while putting intention into each piece. Being indoors has surely made things a challenge for everyone in my house so this is my “me time“. I get excited after creating a piece knowing that I made it with my own two hands. All of the jewelry pieces are handcrafted with love, and each gemstone or bead is selected with great thought and intention.
Purple Jewelry Pieces
As many of you know, I love the color purple. I wanted to utilize a few moonstones and rose quartz pieces that I had in my collection. I thought these jewelry pieces that I created would give a touch of purple to any outfit. They will also stack nicely with my charm bracelets. The bracelets were so popular when I posted them on Instagram that I was creating a few more sets for sale.
The bangles above are also adjustable and feature a herringbone type weave. The beads are faux amber glass beads and faux peridot glass beads.
Hawai’i Jewelry Pieces
The above pieces are some of my favorites. If you’ve been a long time follower of my blog, you may know that I am born and raised in Hawai’i, a true blue island girl. I love seafood and love picking and fishing for my favorite ocean delectables to eat and savor. Opihi (which are shell limpets) are some of my favorite foods. After picking them off the rocks (which is much more dangerous than it sounds), we spoon the meat out of the shell and eat it. Then, I save the shells – that actually don’t look very pretty once it’s dry (I can write more about this in another post and share photos) and clean it thoroughly.
Opihi shells make beautiful jewelry
Cleaning consists of using a wire brush to scrub barnacles, seaweed, and years of ocean debris and life from the shell. The Opihi is cleaned and polished, then glazed for a glossy finish. I then add a handmade bail or charm to it or turn it into earrings or a necklace. Each Opihi is unique and while I try to find similar ones to create earrings, you will never find two in the same. These are some of my favorite pieces because they require hours of work. The cleaning alone will consume an entire day. I’m thankful that I find these beautiful shells or friends and family send them to me to create works of art. I’ll be sure to stop by in the next few weeks and share a little about the Opihi for all of you.
I’m always really proud to showcase and wear the jewelry that I make. I swear jewelry is like makeup – you only have two arms, one neck, and two ears, but you want it all and sometimes you wish you could wear them all. I’m been making jewelry to pass the time while on this lock-down as well as give myself a sense of relaxation. Homeschooling the boys and trying to balance home and work life has been a challenge, but I’m glad that I can still utilize a creative outlet and make money from doing so.
So how about you, what are you doing during the Stay-at-Home order? Does your state or area have one in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic? Maybe you’ve picked up an old hobby or started a new one with some extra time on your hands. Maybe you’ve decided to give yourself a proper space to enjoy those hobbies and invested in some new equipment like cable covers to keep everything neat and tidy. Whatever it is, I hope you are keeping busy, staying healthy, and doing well.
Interested in seeing more of my jewelry? You can check out Nau Wale No Creations on Instagram or you can see some of my pieces for sale, coming soon.
