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Continue ShoppingAkalei Designs is Hawaii's only designer of handcrafted Kumihimo beaded Hawaiian Lei. With over 100 unique designs we were recently awarded “Best Beaded Lanyard” from The American Kumihimo Society (2023) for our complex braid structures. In addition our silk Hawaiian necklace is being showcased in a commercial for the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement Pop-Up Makēkē Market. And another positive compliment was three of our designs were selected in a juried art exhibit in Oahu by The Hawaiian Handweavers Hui. This public recognition reflects how our unique and high quality necklace lei are gaining attention. All our designs are handcrafted on Maui. We are unique in that we are able to incorporate aspects of floral lei into modern forever lei using glass beads with designs normally only seen in the shell lei made famous on the island of Ni’iHua (The Forbidden Island).
Brown Garden Lupine Necklace Lei - 22”
There are various styles of Japanese in this simple design. The metallic matte brown seed beads combined with 4mm gold glass pearls and silver (white) duracoat galvanized matte long drop beads in this unique necklace design. It was handcrafted using hundreds of glass beads, loaded onto multiple cords then woven together on a wooden kumihimo Marudai stand. It is finished with a strong brass metalic magnet end cap to ensure it is secure. This necklace was inspired by a pattern found on a jewelry supply website (www.caravanbeads.com). They captured a style that is highlighted through the use of these various earth toned beads.
These necklace lei feel wonderful to wear and require little to almost no care (simply use a clean dry towel every few months to keep dust free and bright.) Due to the durability of the glass beads this necklace will last for years. Remember to treat your jewelry with care! I highly recommend that you remove your jewelry when sleeping, showering, or swimming to avoid damage. You can also mix and match with different lengths of similar Lei or try the Forbidden Island inspired necklaces in that collection (see sample photo in this item).
Akalei is the Hawaiian word for "bead reflections" which truly describes this unique style only available on Maui. We specialize in designing a wide range of modern yet classic Hawaiian looking lei. For customized orders please contact me at info@akaleidesigns.com.
Kumihimo is an ancient Japanese braid making technique that creates beautiful and durable interlaced necklaces and bracelets. This art form goes back hundreds of years as braids were made for use in armor of Samurai warriors. In modern times these braids are used for belts (obijime) on kimonos.
It is my goal to provide you with a long lasting, beautiful piece of jewelry that you will enjoy wearing for years to come. I take great care in the construction of my pieces to ensure just that. Please note: colors may slightly differ from their appearance on your display, as it depends on your monitor settings.
Please send me a message with questions or comments.
Thanks for stopping by!
Aloha Aku.
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