Riches marks 26th year with series of trunk shows

Nadine Kam photos
Riches Kahala owner Lo Kaimuloa, left, is celebrating her Kahala Mall kiosk's 26th anniversary. She's with Lesli Tod, center, and Kelli Coffin.

Riches Kahala has been celebrating its 26th anniversary and the holiday season with a series of trunk shows featuring local jewelry designers.

On Dec. 2, Riches owner Lo Kaimuloa welcomed a half dozen designers—Kimberly Le, Two Hands, LK Atelier, Beachcomber Designs, Paradisus and Hands in the Sand—for a night of shopping, and will host a Misa trunk show from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 8, with a 10 percent discount on jewelry designs by Los Angeles-based Misa Hama­moto, who draws inspiration for her handcrafted jewelry from her Hawaii and Micronesia roots and an affinity for nature.

The holiday event will feature metal jewelry with a mix of precious and semiprecious gemstones gleaned from Hama­moto's world travels.

For more information, call Riches at 737-3303.

Misa designs to be showcased tomorrow at Riches, Kahala Mall.

Jewelry designer Kimberly Le wore one of her new necklaces during a designer trunk show Dec. 2 at Riches Kahala. The Kahala Mall kiosk offers dozens of local designer jewelry creations throughout the year.

Island ocean- and flora-inspired designs from Paradisus.

Designer Fay Scherr, left, and Moe Myers, show Scherr's Two Hands line of precious and semi-precious stone jewelry.

New to Riches is LK Atelier, a partnership between designer Leela Goldstein, left, and businesswoman Kari Greenwell. Born in Thailand and raised in Hawaii, Goldstein creates a range of designs for day to evening, and beach to city wear. With a yin-yang dynamic, Greenwell says her personal style is more "city," and Goldstein's is "beach." It all works out.

Cori Rilliet, right, and Samantha Tom show off Beachcomber Designs line of pearl and semi-precious stone jewelry.

Sabrina Awana, left, and Dana Miller show shell and pearl bangles, among other pieces by Hands in the Sand designer Lydia Ho.

About Riches and a glittery tiara moment

Nadine Kam photos
From left, Riches Kahala owner Lo Kaimuloa and her family. From right, husband Clyde, granddaughter Noe, son Kamakana, daughter-in-law Emi, and grandson Kaiko.

Lo Kaimuloa marked the 25th anniversary of her Kahala Mall kiosk, Riches Kahala, on Nov. 26, with an intimate gathering of supporters and fans, who were able to shop some of the most popular local jewelry designers carried by the kiosk. Among them were Beachcomber Designs, Hands in the Sand, Jennie B Jewelry, Kimberly Le, Michie, and Ani Young, and fabric clutches by Jana Lam.

The kiosk boutique has been so successful over the years, I asked Lo why she never expanded into a bigger space.

Although she said she's been invited by the center to move into larger quarters, she said, "Never wanted to," adding that she loves the individualized service and intimacy the small space affords. She has close relationships with her customers, and indeed, when I asked some women whether they were customers or friends of Lo's, they answered, "Both." One woman described Lo as a soul mate, and I can see that.

Although I don't know her well, she's just so friendly, big-hearted, and generous of spirit, that even I, a very private person, just found myself opening up to her. I don't know why, but once I told her about a wacky dream I had, that pre-blog era, would have been kept to myself.

I remembered that incident the night of the party. I couldn't remember the dream, but I only know it ended with a tiara.

Coincidentally, that day, I had been cleaning out my dresser drawers and found an old journal I had. For whatever reason, I threw it on my bed and left it there all day. When I got home from the party and was ready to go to bed, I picked it up and started leafing through the pages, and there, on Jan. 16, 1998, was the dream!

A photo from Marilyn Manson's (short-lived) wedding to Dita Von Teese in 2006.

Even more now, I don't know why I told her this, but I dreamed I was going to a prom, and my date was gothy shock rocker Marilyn Manson. I was upset that, not only was he was prettier than me, to add insult to injury he was wearing a tiara, and I complained, "But I wanted to wear the tiara!"

Anyway, she got a huge laugh out of this, and a few days later, I received in the mail, a tiara from Lo! That's just the sort of thing she carries and the kind of things she does to make women feel beautiful and good about themselves.

I still have the tiara and still feel happy when I think about it, even though, to this day I'm still never gonna be the kind of woman who can outdress Marilyn Manson!

Happy anniversary, Lo!

At right, Lydia Ho of Hands in the Sand, and Dana Miller.

Hammered silver and 14K gold-filled bracelets with Tahitian black pearls and South Sea pearl by Lydia Ho of Hands in the Sand.

Jana Lam with some of her clutches.

Riches Kahala manager Kelli Coffin with jewelry designer Ani Young, who just returned from India with some fabulous gemstones.