3. Forget the puka shells or the old fashioned wave pendants that your grandmother
bought in Hawaii. Today, the hottest trend in Hawaiian jewelry in wood – KOA wood, to
be exact. Koa grows only in Hawaii and has beautiful swirling grain patterns unseen in
any other wood.
Koa from the Big Island of Hawaii is used to create beautiful personal accessories and
Koa jewelry worn by trendy locals, kama’aina. Visitors to the islands are seeing what the
islanders are wearing and the trend going global.
Classic koa bangles or bracelets are worn by men and women alike. The narrower
bangles are worn in odd numbers – 3, 5, or 7 at a time. Each bangle is carved from a
single piece of koa wood. Koa bracelets go with almost any outfit, dress up for an
evening out or casual for a day of shopping.
5. Koa rings are very popular now for wedding bands or simply to add a bit of Hawaiian
style to any ensemble. Warning, don’t be fooled by cheap titanium rings that scratch
easily and lose their shine. Smart kama’aina always buy koa rings made withtungsten,
the hardest metal that never scratches and never needs polishing. High end retailer
Martin & MacArthur has the widest selection of koa-tungsten rings in Hawaii.
Koa pendants are updated and in style now. While traditional Hawaiian fish hook
pendants are still popular, young people are wearing koa pendants made with
tungsten, for a shine that lasts forever. Some of the most popular styles are the koa dog
tag pendant and the koa honu sea turtle pendant.
The biggest trend is definitely Koa watches. The links and casing of these wood
watches are carved from solid koa wood. No one does it better than Martin &
MacArthur, the company that started the Koa craze and now features the widest
selection of Koa watches in the world. The company’s latest innovation is the selfwinding, automatic koa watch.
Koa sets the trend in Hawaiian jewelry today.
6. Wood Watches - Author Bio:
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Local-born Michael Tam, returned to Hawaii with an accomplished track record
leading global companies with a strategic marketing focus. In 2008, Tam became the
majority owner, CEO, and President of Martin & MacArthur, the premiere Koa
furniture maker and retailer in Hawaii for fifty years. Also make personal accessories
such as Koa wood watches ,jewelry,rings.
Tam is responsible for leading Martin & MacArthur to achieve sustainable,
profitable, and long term growth. He has created meaningful connections within the
community in support of the Hawaiian heritage and local artisans in Hawaii.
In the past three, Martin & MacArthur has opened nine new stores, including its first
stores on the Big Island and Kauai. A distinctive retail store base is being created,
focused on the finest home furnishings and personal accessories made in Hawaii for
the gracious Hawaiian living. The Hawaiian furniture store have koa furniture &
rocking chair. They Also make personal accessories such jewelry, jewelry boxes, Koa
wood watches .
7. By the time Tam returned to Hawaii, he had accumulated extensive executive experience
with global companies that included Nordstrom, Starbucks, Borders, McDonalds, and
American Eagle Outfitters. His career is marked with success in creating corporate business
strategies; developing new brands; reposition existing brands; introducing brands into
global and domestic markets
After graduating with a Master of Management degree in marketing and finance at the
Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University, he joined Leo Burnett as senior
media planner for Procter & Gamble and was International Vice President responsible for
McDonald’s Corporation.