444ever Offers a Bold Take on Ocean-Inspired Jewelry
Designer Nico Jager melds shells gathered from the depths of the sea with edgy silver ornamentation.
“I remember coming up with a pocket full of shells, and I felt so rich,” designer Nico Jager says, recalling his first shell-diving session at Yokohama Bay. “It’s just incredible that the ocean creates such beautiful, pure forms of art,” he says.
It was the height of the pandemic, and after years away from the ocean, Jager says the sea called him back. “Growing up in Kāne‘ohe, my dad had a boat, so we spent a lot of time fishing, spearfishing and snorkeling.” Around the same time, hoping to reignite his creative juices, Jager signed up for an introductory jewelry-making class and took to the craft like a fish to water. Thus, 444ever was born as a natural melding of his two interests.
It’s not your standard dainty shell jewelry. Jager describes it as masculine and edgy with a grungier feel. “It reflects the power of the ocean rather than the calm beauty,” he says.
Sunrise shell pendant necklace. Photo: Nico Jager
Punctured miter shell ring. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
Hawaiian Honey cowrie shell earrings. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
His pieces fuse exquisite shells—think checkered cowrie, sunrise and miter styles—with silver spikes, skulls and coral-like caps. He also creates all-silver pieces, including ‘opihi-studded crosses and shark-tooth star pendants.
A scuba diving professional by day, Jager uses his evenings to explore new nooks of the ocean. “While free diving and treasure hunting in untouched, unfamiliar territory, it’s like I’m flying underwater. It’s just the most rewarding feeling,” he says.
@444everdesign, available at Harbors Vintage, 1269 S. Beretania St., McCully-Mō‘ili‘ili, and Hook & Hide Hawai‘i, 1136 Nu‘uanu Ave., Downtown
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Brie Thalmann is the home and style editor of HONOLULU Magazine.
