Hie Heirlooms of Hawai‘i Shares a Fresh Take on Hawaiian Bracelets
Friends Meleana Estes and Noël Shaw bring back luster to the Hawaiian bracelet tradition with Hie, their new fine jewelry brand.
Photos: Courtesy of Hie Heirlooms Of Hawai‘i / Jenn Ellenburg
It’s no mistake that one of the first things you encounter on the Hie Heirlooms of Hawai‘i website is a story about how a young Queen Lili‘uokalani started the Hawaiian bracelet tradition in the late 1800s. Paying homage to one’s roots is at the heart of why owner-designers Meleana Estes and Noël Shaw brought their brand to life.
Both Estes, a lei expert with a background in fashion design, and Shaw, a luxury real estate agent, grew up watching generations of women in their Native Hawaiian ‘ohana proudly wear custom Hawaiian bracelets. Both were gifted treasured bangles of their own in celebration of major life moments, such as a momentous birthday, a graduation and the birth of a first child. And both found themselves struggling to find the kind of modern versions they wanted to add to their collections.
And so, the friends set about creating their own, unintentionally building Hie in the process. “We worked really hard to get them to where we wanted for ourselves and our families,” Estes says. “And then, at that point, we felt like it would be so nice to share our take on this tradition with Hawai‘i and the world.”
The brand launched in 2023 with nine striking styles made from heavyweight solid 14-karat and 18-karat yellow and rose gold, with updated spins on traditional lettering and engravings. Featuring a dainty fleur de lis pattern, the 1881 bracelet is a nod to a bangle Shaw inherited from her great-great-great-grandmother, a confidant of Queen Lili‘uokalani. Minimalists will love the simplicity of the Hie Signature bangle, dotted with a floral motif that blends elements of the crown flower and the Tudor rose. The ornate Uluhe bracelet features a scrolled fern. And the Meleana bracelet pairs chevrons and plumeria-inspired pinwheels.
Owner-designers Meleana Estes (left) and Noël Shaw. Photos: Courtesy of Hie Heirlooms of Hawai‘i / Jenn Ellenburg
Estes hopes that Hie’s fresh take on the heirloom will help bridge the gap between generations where their popularity has waned: “Traditions like this, that are unique to Hawai‘i, should be given new life and kept going.”
