Koa Wood Uses before Jewelry
Koa Wood in jewelry making is a common modern practice. Hula dancers often wear Koa bracelets and other jewelry. We've taken it a step further by pairing the beautiful wood with hypo-allergenic metals for a more versatile look as well as add to our pieces. While koa jewelry is fairly modern the use of Hawaiian Koa wood dates back centuries.
The Koa wood, also known as the Hawaiian mahogany, has always been treasured for its fine texture. The tree, native to Hawaii, thrives on volcanic soil, particularly on the Big Island where it can grow upwards of 100 feet tall. The stunning color of the wood varies between a lighter or orange brown to a deep red based on the area it grows in.
Komo Koa Jewelry
KOA RINGS
KOA JEWELRY
KOA WATCHES
The Polynesians have long treasured the Koa wood tree for its strength, durability and resilience. The term "Koa" translates to bold, warrior-like, brave, and fearless. It was used to make everything from weaponry and tools like spears and paddles to musical instruments like the ukulele. The prized Hawaiian Koa wood was even reserved for people of royalty status (Aliʻi) and the Hawaiian Monarch where it was sculpted into images of gods and made into furniture among other uses. Whole Koa logs, up to 60 feet long, were used to make voyager canoes called Te Puke. Watch this short video from the History Channel showcasing how historians believed the Polynesians may have used these and their navigational skills to discover the Americas before Columbus.
By the turn of the century the prized koa wood was still primarily used for those of higher status and in government architecture to make furniture, staircases, statues, and other woodworks. Iolani Palace on Oahu, the official residence of Hawaii’s monarchy, is a beautiful place to view such use. The demand for Hawaiian Koa wood is still high for making quality furniture and other upscale projects.
The State of Hawaii is working on preserving this rare but desirable wood by implementing harvest restrictions and adding reforestation projects. We at Koa Wood Rings only use wood that's been sustainably sourced, most often reclaimed pieces from woodworking projects. We also commit to helping the reforestation projects by donating a portion of our proceeds to foundations that work to educate and preserve Hawaii's natural forests such as The Hawaii Forest Institute and Hawaii Forest Industry Association. Our beautiful jewelry is purchased everyday as gifts, to celebrate anniversaries, and our rings are often the symbol of love as wedding bands. We're honored to be a part of people's love stories, memories, and aloha.
Let customers speak for us
We bought a pair of the kauri rings and they are fabulous, even better than the pictures. Customer service is fantastic, although the rings are sized in US and UK letters/numbers I would recommend sizing in mm as we did have to get one resized. The customer service was great and very simple. We even got it engraved , very happy with the results. Thanks
Bought ring to fill as my back-up to my original wedding band which was damaged. This new koa band has not left my finger since it arrived, even though my original band has been fixed. Love the island connection! Born and raised in Aiea!
My husband absolutely loves his Koa wood ring. It has sentimental appeal to him. The Koa is absolutely stunning! Great energy. Jeweler was amazing!
Love the rings love the 5 star customer service!!!
The bangle is absolutely beautiful. I bought it for my mom as a gift on my wedding day and she loved it. Highly recommend
Thank you so much for our beautiful Kauri rings. We love them so much and everyone says they are stunning and a wonderful concept.
This was a gift for Christmas, I received both the Bengal bracelet and the heart pendant necklace and I'm deeply in love with both items! Quality and craftsmanship is just absolutely amazing!! Yes please to know that I can wear it and enjoy it in the shower and hiking and wherever, and that just makes me love it even more. This company is truly amazing, we also ordered a men's link bracelet and he loves it greatly!! You cannot go wrong ordering from this company, the pieces are absolutely awesome!!
This was a gift for Christmas, I received both the Bengal bracelet and the heart pendant necklace and I'm deeply in love with both items! Quality and craftsmanship is just absolutely amazing!! Yes please to know that I can wear it and enjoy it in the shower and hiking and wherever, and that just makes me love it even more. This company is truly amazing, we also ordered a men's link bracelet and he loves it greatly!! You cannot go wrong ordering from this company, the pieces are absolutely awesome!!
Absolutely beautiful. Craftsmanship is amazing
My husband lost his first ring from 10 years ago. The original was great quality and he loved it! He was so sad when he lost it and we couldn't get the same type, but similar. This one is just a little heavier, but still beautiful, I was thrilled that your company was still alive and well! Very quick shipping!
The Koa wood ring is lovely. My husband loves it and it is perfect for him.
It was shipped out very quickly and we received it sooner than expected, even though we are in another country. Love it!
