Hawaiian-Inspired Jewelry: Plumeria, Floral Bangles and the Ocean
Walk through any town in Hawaiʻi and you will see bangles on wrists everywhere: on aunties at the grocery store, on nurses, on surfers coming out of the water. Jewelry here is personal. It marks graduations, birthdays and the people you love. This guide covers where that tradition comes from and the island motifs behind our designs.
The bangle tradition in Hawaiʻi
Hawaiian heirloom jewelry is a tradition that goes back to the late 1800s and the Hawaiian monarchy, when engraved gold bangles with black enamel lettering became treasured keepsakes. Over generations those bangles became a way to celebrate milestones, often engraved with a name and passed down in families.
We want to be clear and respectful about this: Aloha Standard does not make Hawaiian heirloom jewelry, and we do not engrave. Our pieces are Hawaiʻi-inspired: designed in Hawaiʻi by Lexi, influenced by her grandma's jewelry and by everyday island life.
Island motifs and what they mean to us
Plumeria and florals
The plumeria is the flower most people picture when they think of Hawaiʻi, tucked behind an ear or strung into a lei. Our Floral Bangle and Eden Bangle are wrapped in hand-carved floral patterns, and the plumeria appears on our Plumeria Necklace and Floral Hoop Earrings.
The ocean
The Pacific is in almost everything we make. Our Ocean Necklace holds a larimar stone in a gold bezel, a blue stone that looks like shallow reef water. Our Hawaiian Pearl Stud Earrings are a simple nod to the sea.
Texture from the shoreline
The Hammered Bangle is hand-hammered so it catches light the way water does, a quiet, everyday piece that stacks with everything.
Who we are
Aloha Standard started with Lexi selling bangles she made herself during class at the University of Hawaiʻi. She made thousands of bangles at her own bench before we brought on more artisans to keep up. Today we are a small team in Honolulu with thousands of happy customers, and proceeds from every order are donated to Hawaiʻi organizations. Read our story and how we give back.
How to wear Hawaiʻi-inspired jewelry anywhere
You do not need to live in the islands to wear a piece of them. A floral bangle with a white tee, a plumeria necklace with a sundress, a stack of hammered bangles with a sweater in the middle of winter. Our customers tell us their bangles are the thing that reminds them of their favorite trip, or of home. For styling ideas, see how to stack bangles.
Shop the pieces
- Free size exchanges: you just cover $6 return postage. How it works
- Not the right piece? Store credit within 45 days of delivery.
- Arrived broken or not what you ordered? Send us a photo and we will fix it at no cost.
- Finished by hand in small batches. Proceeds donated to Hawaiʻi organizations.
More guides: see all Aloha Standard guides.
