Noelani’s Charms

The first time I met Noelani Love was in a nightclub. She wrote her number on my arm and told me to call her the next day. She had noticed I didn’t wear any jewelry and wanted to fix that, because according to Noe, women don’t want accessories, they need them. I quickly fell in love with Noe’s style, as a jewelry designer and as a beautiful person, a Spanish-speaking southern belle who sparkles everywhere she goes with her warmth and genuine smile. “Most of my pieces have an element of nature, whether it be made out of natural materials, [like] shell, wood, feathers, stones, or in the abstract shapes of nature,” the 24-year-old explains. “Everything beautiful on this planet comes from nature and I think it’s important to preserve that beauty. My jewelry is wearable art that is a tribute to our sacred space.” To create her pieces, Noelani brings her Southern upbringing (she was raised in North Carolina), her international travels to places like Costa Rica and Nicaragua, and her Hawaiian heritage together, inspiring a look that is modern, elegant and exotic. The self-taught designer started making jewelry for girlfriends as Christmas presents while she was attending college at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. What started as a hobby became quite lucrative, as Noe’s creations became so in-demand on campus that she began selling her jewelry regularly at a table in the school cafeteria. Noe brought her business to Hawaii in 2005, and now her designs are carried in many boutiques around the island and the mainland, and she is a consistent participant in most of the local art and fashion shows. From beach days to late nights, Noelani Designs accessories are versatile with any style, to dress up a look or keep it down to earth. The designs are becoming iconic on the streets, as well as in local fashion shows and magazines. Noelani often devotes her time and jewelry to causes she believes in, most recently taking part in the Divas Doing Good “Green is the New Black” fundraiser for Kanu Hawaii. “I feel like I’m finally arriving at the point I’ve always wanted to be with my company,” says the newlywed and proud mommy. “I just want to be the best I can be, and help the world to be the best it can be.”

–Tiff Hervey