CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Robert and Deanna Kay Haimoff Wander, who married in 1994, are the designer duo behind Haimoff & Haimoff, a well-known global jeweler who has operated in the islands for 25 years, and WINC Designs.

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Couple linked by
their own designs

The Wanders' jewelry brought
them together and keeps them going

Like platinum and diamonds, Robert and Deanna Kay Haimoff Wander complement each other and bring sparkle to the jewelry industry.

"My wife has the most exquisite taste of anyone I know of, except in one regard. She chose me," Robert Wander said from the doorway of the cluttered Kapiolani Boulevard office where he runs WINC Designs. Deanna Kay's more organized office, where the Haimoff & Haimoff retail chain is headquartered, is across the hall.

There's no question that the couple's success is a case of opposites attract. She's organized and business-minded. He's free-spirited and fanciful. Together the couple recently earned the designers of the year award from JCK Luxury, a jewelry trade publication. They also have won the Japanese Pearl Award and scooped up a Spectrum Award from the American Gem Trade Association

Deanna Kay succumbed to Robert's charms after first falling in love with his work. She bought the then Florida Keys-based Wander's distinctive jewelry for more than a decade, before ever really noticing the man behind the bold designs.

"We joke that I came over to show her my jewels and I did," Robert said. "We had lunch, dinner and then breakfast and nine months later we were married in a Buddhist Temple in Thailand."

It was the second time around for the couple, who merged lives and design styles in 1995. The Haimoff name comes from Deanna's first husband, Harry, whom she bought out after their divorce.

In the case of the Wanders, looking through the eyes of love boosted perspective and sales. Robert was the inspiration behind DK Finds, Deanna Kay's wholesale line of jewelry, and she in turn, gave him the emotional support he needed to launch Crystal Candy, a design style that made its debut in 2002.

Robert, a third generation jeweler who once left the industry to become a marlin fishing boat captain, now uses his design skills to turn the imperfections of raw stones into art, which has been featured in magazines across the globe. The Etruscan-like pieces, which are inspired by the temples of Cambodia, the architecture of New York's finest buildings and the world's most beautiful gardens, have more in common with fine art than fine jewelry.

"Robert can't make the pieces fast enough," said Deanna Kay. The last collection sold out within days.

Deanna Kay's wholesale jewelry line, DK Finds, has achieved its own following since she launched it as a lark to give her something to do when as a newlywed she began accompanying Robert to design shows. The hand-crafted 18-karat gold and diamond jewelry has grown in popularity as more women have discovered its versatility, which can take them from t-shirts to ball-gowns with one piece

"At first, I just took up a little exhibit space at Robert's shows; now the line pays its own way," Deanna Kay said. "Robert helped inspire me by telling me that I could do it -- my designs were always put down before so I had concentrated on the business end of the profession."

When they aren't working, the Wanders travel the world in search of new ideas. The beauty of a garden, the curve of a building, the blue depths of the ocean all can be found in their work, but the extra sparkle comes from love.