MIKE BURLEY / MBURLEY@STARBULLETIN.COM
Valerie K. Yamashita recently opened Jewel Flair in Ala Moana Center. The store features designs by local artists, as well as artists from abroad, and the Pandora line of "composable" jewelry. Inset are examples of Kimberley Le's work.
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Jewel Flair is gift haven
Craft Flair started simply enough 17 years ago, when, believe it or not, craft fairs were not the ubiquitous weekend affairs they are today, and there were few permanent outlets for artists' work. Back then, aficionados of handmade wares had to wait months to see their favorite artisans and scoop up their latest creations.
With Craft Flair, Valerie Yamashita, who had a retail background and loved browsing craft fairs herself, decided to make the itinerant craft show concept permanent. Her Ward boutique has done well enough to merit branching out with a new concept, Jewel Flair, this time geared toward fans of shiny, pretty things.
The shop had its grand opening Saturday at Ala Moana Center, where it's behind Centerstage, on the Diamond Head side.
While Craft Flair had a predominantly local customer base, Yamashita said she noticed jewelry did well with her visitor clientele, and at Ala Moana, she's hoping to introduce more visitors to local jewelry designers and brands such as Kimberly Le, Fran Takemoto and Most Wanted.
"It's really hard otherwise for local artists to get into Ala Moana Center. Kimberly has been trying a long time and I keep telling people to buy her pieces now because one day she'll be famous."
Le is known for her delicate, handmade wire-wrapped jewelry, utilizing semi-precious gems.
The local pieces often come with a story, such as Takemoto's discovery of boxloads of beach glass on Kauai's North Shore decades ago.
"I'm still using that glass today," she said, of her colorful pendants and earrings, accented with pearls and semi-precious stones, with pieces starting at a modest $36 for a necklace on silk cord.
That reflects Yamashita's budget-conscious approach to stocking her showcases, a philosophy hard-earned after dealing with past economic downturns.
"Even in this kind of economy, people still want to treat themselves to something, and they don't need to spend a lot of money to get something nice," she said.
Along that line, she introduced Pandora's line of "composable bracelets," to Craft Flair, and it's made the move to Jewel Flair.
Pandora's basic sterling silver bracelet is $50, and friends, relatives and lovers can add charms over time. Sterling-silver charms start at $25, 14K-gold charms at about $180, and in between are two-tone silver-and-gold charms starting at about $40.
"Girlfriends buy them for each other; grandmothers, mothers and daughters buy them for each other. It seems to fit the whole spectrum of young to old," Yamashita said.
When a bracelet is completed, with about 22 charms, depending on the size of one's wrist, the wearer has a memento of favorite colors, special occasions and life's milestones, all reflected in the bracelet. There are charms to mark graduations, birthdays, hobbies, favorite foods, travels, etc.
"Once they catch on to it, it makes gift-giving easy because you can buy a charm for $25. There are a lot of pockets of friends at different companies who do this."
Those who complete a bracelet often move onto the next, sometimes graduating to a 14K-gold bracelet and charms. The most popular charms feature hearts and flowers.
Extra charms can also be placed on a Pandora necklace or your own chain or leather cord.
And for those who take a pragmatic approach, there's evidence that Pandora's charms may appreciate over time. Like other collectibles companies, Pandora retires select pieces, such that a silver strawberry charm purchased for $25 a few years ago, now sells on eBay for $40 to $50.
Jewel Flair is on the ground level of Ala Moana Center, behind Centerstage. Call 946-8001.