Tongan Salusalu Lei

There are times when a flower lei might not be the most practical gift. Sending it through the mail to a faraway loved one may not be possible. What do you do then? A silk flower lei can be a great option, or even a crocheted lei can be a prized memento as well.

But if you want to get something a little more authentic and won't perish in the next week, you might consider this. Our Tongan Salusalu Lei is handcrafted right here in Hawaii by local Tongan artisan Mele Tovo. For years she has crafted and demonstrated at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Now retired, she crafts for fun and teaches her grandchildren and neighbors the cultural arts that she mastered.

Mele's creations can be seen daily at many of the Polynesian shows throughout Hawaii. One of her most visible is the Tongan Salusalu Lei. The vibrant lei is made from the wild hibiscus fibers found throughout Polynesia. The lei is handmade looping, tying and weaving the fibers to make the flower petals. It's very lightweight just as its flower counterparts. Available now in traditional Tongan colors (red & white) and in a festive option (red, white, green and orange). Custom colors are also available in quantities.

A great gift for the upcoming holidays including Christmas and Valentines. And don't forget graduations, birthdays and special days. These Polynesian leis will keep the lasting memories of the moment.

Anniversary Sale at Black Pearl Designs

We're celebrating our 6th year!
It's amazing how time flies. We've gone through our share of ups and downs and we're looking forward to a great 7th year. To celebrate, we're doing something we usually don't do. We're putting our black pearl shell jewelry on sale now for the month of October. In addition, we're putting our Mahana Pareos on sale as well.

Black Pearl Designs logo shop is now open

What is that you say? Black Pearl Designs new look is in the works. Along with a redesign, we are going to be adding in more products, more how-to-tie instructions and a couple surprises on the way. We are almost 5 years old and all throughout our anniversary we'll be introducing new products, news and of course, designs.

One of the additions is the new Black Pearl Designs logo shop. This is where you'll be able to find our designs. You can pick up a shirt or bag of our Black Pearl Girl - Tehani. She's great! Sassy, intriguing, enchanting and a little sultry. Look closer and you'll notice that she is wearing our signature Tehani pareo.

In the future you'll be able to see additional designs showing off some of the creative designs of our artists and crafters.

New designs from artisan Patu

With our recent trip to Tahiti, we hooked up with several premier artisans. Patu, an accomplished Marquesan style tattooist and carver, loves to create new designs, he's more than willing. He already is in great demand and creates our popular carved Tahitian black pearls for us already. After showing us his most recent work, we knew we were going to add more of his work to our offerings.

We're introducing three new pieces that Patu created. The Tuianu necklace, Menemene necklace, and the 'Oeha necklace. All three feature intricate carvings balanced out with the ever present Tahitian black pearl.

The Tuianu necklace, a favorite style in Tahiti creates interest not only from the tattoo carvings but also the classic shape and criss-cross weaving of black satin rope tying a pair of hanging black pearls. Each piece, of course, is unique, not only because of the carvings and black pearls, but also because of the varying hues of the shell itself. If you want to make a fashion statement with an accessory, this is a great way to do so.

Patu pays special attention to the designs he carves on the Menemene necklace. Using what he has learned from growing up surrounded by carvers and artisan, he combines both new and old styles. The classic shaped round shell is definitely a focal point, but don't forget the black pearl.

'Oeha simply means rectangle. But the carvings and design of this necklace is anything but simple. Traditional Marquesan carvings are hand carved into the mother of pearl shell. A separate shell piece is attached below and a black pearl follows. The vertical look is stylish and slimming.

As our budget for artisans gets larger, look for more great and creative works on our website - Black Pearl Designs.

Hawaiian Coconut Creche Nativity - Christmas in Hawaii

Bringing Polynesia to you is more easier than ever before and with the holiday's coming up, we're more than happy to wish everyone a very Merry Hawaiian Christmas - Mele Kalikimaka.

The traditional manger scene everyone is familiar with takes on a little twist in Hawaii. People picture the South Pacific with tropical palm trees, beautiful white sand beaches, and warm sunny skies. They also are right in assuming that coconut trees are an important part of island life. Coconut trees are a source of so many things including food, drink, oil, wood, weaving material, rope, shade, and decorative items aplenty. It is called - the tree of life.

One of the more creative and fun uses of the coconut (niu in Hawaiian) is our own coconut creche. It's a Hawaiian manger nativity scene complete with wooden stable animals, Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and just a touch of the islands - a coconut palm tree. The manger is made of the inside of the coconut husk. The cleaned out coconut husk sits atop another piece of coconut.

Putting the creche together is a labor of love and even more so because they are assembled by Lanakila Pacific, a provider of services and programs geared toward building independence for people with challenged lives.

This is a great gift for those who have visited or lived in Hawaii. It's also great for those who want to share the "aloha spirit" with their loved ones.

Don't wait. Avoid the rush and save when you buy more than one at Black Pearl Designs.

Black Pearl Designs Wish List

If you're like us, you have a wish list somewhere on the web. Whether it be for your favorite brick-and-mortar store like Pottery Barn, Macy's, Williams & Sonoma, Victoria's Secret, Nike, Tommy Bahama or the endless other stores that you can walk right into and pick up your favorites, or online favorites that might not exactly be accessible from your neighborhood. One of our favorites and most convenient is Amazon.com.

Amazon.com has it all... almost. But what about our own offerings at Black Pearl Designs? Well, a great new function recently added to the site allows you to visit our online store and add our items directly into your Amazon.com wish list. It's called the Universal Wish List by Amazon.com. Now you can let all your gift givers know exactly what you want. No more guessing. It's convenient, time saving and flexible. Your friends and family will love the ease and if they haven't seen our store, then it's a nice way to introduce them to the tropical Polynesia you love.

All you have to do is go to your wish list page or create a wish list page on Amazon.com and look for the Universal Wishlist box. Follow the 1 step directions and voila! You're all set to start adding your favorites to your wish list from practically any store on the web. It's a great way to keep track of what you are looking for.

Tahitian Pareo questions

Three of the pareo styles that we offer are all made of 100% cotton of different weights. The heaviest is the Heiva Hibiscus. It is made of a high threadcount of cotton sheeting. The Mahana is more of a chiffon weight, light and airy. And the Tehani is in the middle. It is a broadcloth. When you go shopping for your pareo it all depends on what you are really looking for.

The Mahana pareo is the only one that is hand dyed. It's varying colors and motifs are the result of a photo sensitive dye process that fixes the colors into the fabric depending on how much heat and light it receives. Sea salt that is thrown on the fabric absorbs colors and creates texture to the design.

The Heiva Hibiscus pareo is based on classic Tahitian motifs. Many prints in the past were printed on a polyester and cotton blend. We've decided to stay away from the polyester.

The Tehani pareo is all our own. It's one of the most "Tahitian" that we're proud of. Tehani is based on the Tahitian tiare, Hawaiian lauae and Marquesan tattoo inspirations. The fabric is just the right weight (we think it is) and has a nice balance of weight and durability.

Our last pareo is made of rayon. We've had request after request for rayon and we intend on making a new design in the future on rayon or one of the above in a rayon version. The Tiare pareo is a handmade work of art. Each is screened by hand. The only fabric more softer is silk.

Hope this helps in making your decision when visiting our Black Pearl Designs website.

Black Pearl Designs featured in the Honolulu Star Bulletin

Well, we've gone and done it now... discovered by the press. The Honolulu Star Bulletin business writer Kristen Consillio, found out about us by first becoming a customer. She found our website Black Pearl Designs, after her sister realized that we were a local Oahu, Hawaii company and wanted to make an order but didn't want to pay for shipping. She used our new "will call" option which allows on-island customers to pick up from our home office in Kaneohe. Obviously there is no charge. If we could do this for all our customers we would.

Take a look at the great article. It's interesting how we view our own business and how others view it. There are things we expected and things we didn't expect. It seems to be a growing experience which we can learn to help improve ourselves. All in all, it was fun to be interviewed and take part in the story. The article is part of the newspaper's monthly focus piece "Family Tree" about family owned businesses.

Mauruuru to Kristen, Jamm Aquino and the Honolulu Star Bulletin.


Honolulu Star Bulletin - Sending Polynesia around the world

Putting together a Tahitian pareo design, Part IV

I wish everything about this project would go smoothly. But, you know, we live in an imperfect world. In meeting with the fabric manufacturer this past week, I was reminded that there are many interpretations to color. Tones and hues can be interpreted in a wide variety of colorful options. The Tehani pareo design is definitely Tahitian inspired but the colors are influenced by more modern conservative palettes. I asked for tonal variations of blue, green, yellow and orange. I also asked for a traditional Tahitian red and a black and white mock up. Leaving, I also mentioned some typically loud Tahitian colors might also be a possibility for the fifth color. What I got on the proofs was not exactly what I was looking for.

We're looking to do 5 colorways for our Tehani pareo design. The 100% cotton fabric broadcloth will be printed and manufactured in Japan. Delivery is hopefully going to be early December (cross your fingers).

The only color proof that I liked and what I thought all of you would like is the blue. The rest did not pass my first impression test. The green and orange proofs for some reason had a very noticeable yellow. I've asked that the yellow be changed to a tone of the dominant colors respectively. The background, or ground on each was nice but I'm not sure if they fit right and unfortunately we won't know until we get the new proofs. For some reason, on the yellow design, the artist decided to put in a dark brown for contrast. I just plain didn't like that choice. Obviously, I asked that to be removed and replaced with a tone of yellow.

A red colorway just didn't work for me either. Although creative, it just didn't create any interest. Changes to a more traditional Tahitian red design were requested. But I guess the most perplexing proof was the black and white. I figured that would be the easiest one of them all. We had discussed adding in a tone to give more contrast and we decided on a touch of blue. What we got back turned out to be overwhelmingly dark and... green? Where did the green come from? I asked for lightening up the background to help contrast the leaves. And the green has to go. We'll see if this one is going to make the final cut.

Overall we were 1 for 6. Not a great statistic but I'm optimistic and determined. After all, the deposit is already paid and a substantial investment in time and money can't be abandoned. Sounds familiar? It's like every other investment. But with planning, and familiarity with the design team and a good track record, we're going to get this out to the public.

It's not an option to leave this unfinished. We have dance groups, Heiva competitions and our own customers at Black Pearl Designs just waiting for our new print, not to mention new colors to choose from.

The pareo skirt - tying your pareo

We've been looking for a pareo look that can leave the beach behind and we found it in the A'ahu pareo tying style demonstrated for us by Poehere. By taking a full size pareo and wrapping it around the waist lengthwise and tying it on your preferred hip, we have one of the most simple, yet elegant looking tying style. Next, by adding a mini pareo of complementing color, our model folded the mini pareo lengthwise twice and tied over the full size pareo right above the full size tie to create another layer to the skirt. By wrapping it at a slight angle, you can create even more interest. The style allows for comfort and flexibility as it stays open, but not necessarily revealing, on the side you made the tie.

You can create some interest as well by tying the full size pareo on the width instead of lengthwise. This will allow for a "slit" that will go up to the hip tie and a "train" that you can let trail or you can pick up for "on the go". Either way, you have a more dressy look to your average pareo. Add a solid color neutral or complementing top, a nice understated black pearl necklace, some Maitai black pearl shell round earrings or a tiare hairpick behind your ear and you have a perfect tropical evening... a casual island elegance.

Here's a few suggested color variations that work well. Our Mahana Pareo Set is perfect for this as it is light and breathes well. After all, it's a 100% cotton. And it has the flexibility to mix different colors. Not to mention that it is on sale!

Full size pareo – Mini pareo
Tahiti purple – Lehua red
Palm green – Yellow ginger
Rehu ash gray – Lehua red
Rehu ash gray – Light blue ocean
Yellow ginger – Coral orange
Citrus lime - Rainforest green
Twilight blue – Tahiti purple
Hibiscus pink – Rehu ash gray

Visit Black Pearl Designs for more color options.

Exclusive Offer for Black Pearl Designs readers and subscribers

When is reading a reward? Well, most times it is. After all, knowledge is power. And here's a new reward for keeping in touch with us here at Black Pearl Designs. For a limited time, get 5% off your next purchase of $50 or more at our online store. Just shop around at our various unique sections. Sections that include hard-to-find coconut woven jewelry featuring Tahitian black pearls and exclusive pareos like our 100% cotton Mahana Pareo, are just a couple examples of cultural finds that you'll rarely see outside of Tahiti.

This is an exciting feature for us to offer coupons. Until recently it wasn't an option, but Yahoo! (our online store back office support) finally made it available as part of our expanding operations. Yahoo! Small Business has enabled our secure checkout system and security of our customers' information since the beginning. It's been a great and strong partnership.

So, take advantage of this exclusive offer just for our readers. Enter the coupon code: TEHANI2050 when you checkout and you'll receive 5% off your order of $50 or more. It's that easy. But don't wait. The offer expires Sept. 30, 2007.

Mauruuru (Thank you) for visiting and make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed to receive news, exclusive offers and advance notice of new products at our store.

Putting together a Tahitian pareo design, Part I

It's been a long time coming but we are well under way on our newest pareo. Our Heiva Hibiscus Pareo is so popular and timeless that we just had to see if we could add to it or better yet, complement it. Almost 4 years ago we took the Heiva Hibiscus Pareo and brought it to the public. It was in a single shop and has (and still is) been used as a uniform for the Polynesian Cultural Center. Now, new colors have been introduced and old standards have been brought back and revitalized. The success and your urging has brought us to this current development.

I've been drawing and making notes, tearing out pages in magazines and taking photos of designs and inspirations for this new pareo. We, at Black Pearl Designs, are tentatively calling it the Tehani Tiare Pareo, but we might shorten that to just Tehani Pareo. We'd love input on this. Feel free to let us know your feelings on it. Tehani translates to - the sweet-smelling caress of flowers. And obviously we are featuring the tiare flower in this design.

The design is a "sister" to the Heiva Hibiscus Pareo. That's the way we described it to our design team. It has many of the same feelings and textures but is different in that instead of the hibiscus it features a truly Tahitian icon, the tiare. Once we finalize the design we'll work on colors. We have 5 colorways that we are working on but again, we are open to suggestions and requests.

One other element that will be different from the Heiva Hibiscus Pareo is the fabric. The Heiva Hibiscus Pareo is printed on 100% cotton sheeting. The cotton sheeting is a high-quality, heavy cotton and even heavier on some colors because of the amount of ink that is used to color. For instance, the tropic blue is much heavier than the hibiscus white as the white background is already there to start with. The Heiva Hibiscus Pareo is printed using 5 colors. The new Tehani Pareo is also using 5 colors as well. It will be printed on 100% cotton broadcloth with a 40/40 thread count (133 x 72). The broadcloth is softer, gives a little and drapes better. It's not as heavy duty as the cotton sheeting but for making pareos, it works wonders. It retains color nicely and has a subtle sheen that we think will complement the design nicely.

Creating a Mahana Pareo

There's more to pareo than just color. Back in the early 1980's there were a few Tahitians in Hawaii who were looking for new ways to make a living. They cherished their native culture and wanted to find a new way to share their culture. Lo and behold the idea was wrapped around them the whole time.

The Tahitian pareo has been around for a very long time. From its modest and practical origins, the pareo evolved from Tahitian tapa which adorned and clothed the islanders before European contact. A tiputa poncho, pareu and maro were the forerunners of post-European dress in the islands. The history and origins of the modern day pareo has gone through changes throughout the ages. It progressed from manual printing, block printing and modern textile printing. Yet the art and creativity still remains the core.

Auntie Ura has kept this art alive and well. She is one of the few who have continued this artform. It's an art she is most proud of and enjoys making and knowing that others enjoy her work as much as she does. Originally from Tahiti, she has spent a large part of her life in Hawaii. She has made pareos for almost 30 years. We're blessed to be able to have her create her "Mahana" pareos for us here at Black Pearl Designs.

With a creative flair, Auntie Ura prewashes the fabric and dyes the pareos in photo sensitive dyes, which were introduced from merchants visiting Tahiti from France. It is a unique dye that when exposed to sunlight, creates a fabric effect similar to the batik and tie dye. This, however, can be a softer look. Anything placed on top of the dyed fabric will leave a lighter impression. Anything under the fabric will leave a darker impression.

One of the fun effects that can change the pareos' appearance is the use of Hawaiian sea salt. When spread out over the pareo, it absorbs some of the dye to create variations in the dye intensity. Combine it with leaves and flower silhouettes with intricate patterns, and you have a totally unique piece of wearable art. The pareos are laid out in the sun until the dye is set and then dried on clothes lines using the cool tradewinds. It's a Kodak moment as you pass by watching all the pareos drying flapping in the wind.

Together with all the labor and time that goes into making these pareos and mother nature, each Mahana Pareo is a unique piece of wearable art. Pareo making is one of Tahiti's only surviving folk arts. It is heartening to have visitors in Tahiti purchase the handmade pareos to help the traditions of the native people live on.

Hot Mahana Pareo

The Mahana Pareo is the beach fashion of the summer

What's hot? Do you really need to ask? With summer coming right around the corner, beachwear is a must for upcoming vacations. Here in Hawaii we have warm sunny days all year, but especially during summer. Long white sandy beaches, cool refreshing surf and an unending supply of monoi coconut oil to keep your skin looking great. But what to wear? Whatever you decide you can always add on to show a bit of fashion. That's where the Mahana Pareo comes in.

Aptly named, the Mahana (sun) Pareo originated in Tahiti within the last three or four decades. Created with photo sensitive dyes, tropical themed silhouette motifs, traditional island sea salt and the warm rays of the sun, the Mahana Pareo is the hottest thing on the beach. They are one of a kind works of art.

As much as they are warmed by the sun, they are soft and comfortable to wear. Made of 100% light weight cotton, these light and airy pareos are convenient as well. Lighter in weight than our signature Heiva Hibiscus Pareo, the Mahana Pareo is fast becoming a favorite among our friends.

If you have trouble selecting colors, don't worry. Black Pearl Designs is always adding in colors and can do custom work upon request. The wait is minimal (after all, all we need is sunny skies and a flair for creativity) for custom orders. Ask us. We're more than happy to hear from you.

New Pareo Tying Style - Tahaa

With Summer fast approaching comes a wave of new pareo ties. And we promise to bring a few new ones for our readers, pareo enthusiasts, dancers and collectors in the coming months.

If you've noticed, we've recently introduced our Mahana Pareo at our Black Pearl Designs website. It's a traditional style that has been around for decades. Funny thing though, no one got around to creating a name for it. So it was from many hours of making the pareos and countless hours discussing its attractive attributes that we most appropriately called this style - Mahana - meaning... sun.

Mahana pareos are created by using photo sensitive dyes, tropic motifs, island salts and light from the sun. They are handmade works of art. Each unique. Each of the colors are hand dyed. Along with sea salt and themed silhouette, the pareos are dried in the sun to lock in the colors.

Here is a first look at the first pareo tying style we are featuring using the Mahana Pareo - Tahaa. Tahaa is known as the "vanilla island." Over 75% of all the vanilla that is produced in Tahiti is from Tahaa. The aroma is intoxicating and its scent permeates everywhere you go on the tiny island. Its sister island Raiatea might be more well known, but its every bit as beautiful. So as we expand our style guide, we share this island inspired tying style.

Start off by wrapping the pareo lenthwise around your body, holding the two ends in front of you. From there, move your hands about a foot or so along the top of the pareo close to your chest. Allow the ends to fall and twist once to create an easy tie. Next, reach down to the open ends and bring them together in front.

From there, you fold twice to create a pleat. Bring the pleat flat to your chest and tuck into the top of the pareo above the knot.

There you go. Simple, fun and easy to create.

While you are enjoying your pareo tying accomplishment, we're delighted to announce that we will be introducing two new pareos this summer. Introducing our our first rayon pareo - the Tiare Pareo. Look for it coming shortly. Our second pareo will be coming later this summer. We're still working out the colors and material, but it will be available soon as well. We're excited for both and excited to let our readers know first of these developments.

Is it a sarong or a pareo?

Does it even matter what you call your wrap around? Well, the short answer is yes.

Imagine walking down a street in Bali, Jakarta, or even New Delhi. A street vendor shows you a selection of "Tahitian Pareos". How can this be? I'm sure the appeal of the design is there. The texture is probably so smooth you have to catch yourself daydreaming about relaxing on a deserted beach being pampered with scented coconut oil and a refreshing pina colada at your side. The ambiance of those exotic places lend to the appeal of the wraparound. Those wraparounds are in fact "Sarongs", not "Pareos".

The origins and process from which the Indonesian Sarong is made is called "Batik". The bright colors, bold patterns and vivid artwork showcase Indonesian inspired motifs. Batik is a dying process that involves labor intensive processes and hard work. There are many great sources describing this process available in libraries and on the internet.

A Tahitian Pareo however, can trace its origins from a totally different source. The tapa cloth of central Polynesia is the forerunner of today's pareo. It's amazing that even though the sarong and the pareo came from different sources, they both share a remarkable similarity in today's culture. The Tahitian Pareo came about after the western explorers introduced fabric textiles to the Tahitian royalty. As more and more western ships arrived, more commercial traders arrived with new materials and goods. They inspired the Tahitians to creatively decorate their new "clothing" similarly to how they decorated their tapa.

Local fauna was a favorite motif and in more recent times, Marquesan tattoos have also become a very visible addition. Originally the designs were placed on the pareo using ferns and flowers pressed in ink and transferred by pressing down on the pareo as desired. Later, block prints were created. And still later screen printing simulating block prints have created an "ancient" look. Today, still another method is being used as well. Textile production has expanded to specialize in ethnic prints including Tahitian.

Another method Tahitian Pareo are being made today is somewhat similar to the batik method. Our very own Mahana Pareo is an example of this method. With photo-sensitive dyes, the fabric is dyed while being tied and twisted to create an "organic" and "natural" free-flowing texture and design. This is similarly done with the Caribbean's "Tie-dye" method. Island salt is lightly sprinked to absorb some of the dye and Tahitian and tropical motifs dye-cuts are placed on the pareo according to the artists' desires. All that needed is a sunny sky and patience.

A main difference between the pareo and the sarong comes from the origins from which they have developed. Motifs and color choices also play into the identity of the wraparound. In places such as Hawaii and the Caribbean, these differences have become somewhat blurred. But there are many out there who can tell the difference and who are searching for the authentic. Black Pearl Designs is committed to bring more and more authentic Tahitian goods to its audience. Maururu.