Hawaiian jewelry will always be in style. Whether it's a Hawaiian bracelet or a makau (fishhook), jewelry that speaks to one's heritage or has purpose and sentimental value will be worn and treasured for a lifetime and passed down to future generations.

Now there are three new Hawaiian jewelry companies with their own aesthetic and Island style, resulting in modern interpretations of Hawaiian themes. Strands by Momi, Kula Kala 'O Kaua'i and Manaola make metals with a message.

STRANDS BY MOMI

Marla Momi Musick's line of urban sterling-silver jewelry is inspired by kapa, pahu (drums), ti leaves, kekela (capes) and pe'a (canoe sails). Each piece is accompanied by a Hawaiian proverb, value or saying such as: "E lei no au I kou aloha," ("I will wear your love like a wreath"). The hang tag for the ti-leaf pendant, for example, says "a native plant and a protective talisman that wards off evil." The pieces cost $52 to $400.

Musick remembers visiting her grandparents, Mary Chan Wa and Norman Oda, in Lahaina, where they fashioned kukui nuts and 'opihi shells into necklaces. While Musick's style and materials are certainly more urban and sophisticated, the spirit behind her designs is the same. "It's absolutely relevant in contemporary forms," she said.

Musick, a 1985 Kamehameha grad and Pacific Heights resident, earned a BFA at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. She got a job with Fine Arts Associates, a Honolulu art- consulting company, and while there was offered an internship in the exhibition design department of the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York. She promptly fell in love with the Big Apple and decided to make it her home.

She went on to jobs at the Whitney Museum and New York Public Library, attaining a master's degree in visual arts administration at New York University along the way.

In the evenings, Musick took classes at the Craft Students League, where she followed a passion — wax carving and silversmithing — and formed jewelry. "I found myself sketching designs with Hawaiian themes," she said, and wondering how she could bring Hawaiian cultural forms into a contemporary context.

Musick returned to Hawai'i in 2005. "I did a natural cycle in New York," she said. "I lived there for 13 years. My family was growing older," and she was ready to come home. She also discovered many of her New York friends were slowly migrating back to the Islands.

Being home has become a source of inspiration for Musick. "I think the Hawaiian culture is sophisticated and smart," she said, adding her belief that the beauty of the culture is ultimately translatable and relevant globally. That's what she hopes to communicate with Strands by Momi: Hawaiian culture expressed in contemporary forms.

KULA KALA 'O KAUA'I

Donna Lee Cockett of Lihu'e, Kaua'i, has been a master lauhala weaver for decades. Last year, she was caring for a jeweler friend recovering from surgery, and she asked her friend to show her "how to do a few things with metal and beads." The friend gave her some tools and a book on how jewelry is made.

While poring over the book, Cockett said, "I saw an object woven out of metal and I said, 'I can do that!'

Then I said, 'I bet I could make a lauhala bracelet out of metal,' and I did.' "

She spent months experimenting with brass and copper wire — and made many hardware-store runs — to find that her intimate knowledge of lauhala weaving did, indeed, translate to metals. After studying jewelry- making at the Revere Academy in San Francisco, she was ready to graduate to sterling silver and 14K or 20K gold-filled wire.

Cockett's most popular bracelets are based on the maka moena or mat weave adapted from the style used to make lauhala sleeping mats. Another popular style is the Maka Oeno, based on the weave used when making a papale (hat). They are priced at $150 to $280.

MANAOLA

The popularity of the Hawaiian culture in Japan, where there are thousands of hula halau and three-year waiting lists for 'ukulele lessons, is the driving force behind Manaola, a line of sterling-silver jewelry being produced as a partnership among Honolulu designer Stan Shinkawa; Waikiki retailer Terry Munezuka, owner of Japaha; and kumu hula Frank Kawaikapuokalani Hewett.

Hewett got involved through Paul Shinkawa, son of Stan, who was a classmate of the respected kumu and traditional healer at King Intermediate School and Castle High School. Hewett blessed and named the line and continues to be a cultural resource and inspiration.

Manaola means power of life. The jewelry designs are based on Hawaiian legends, history and culture. The Manuipo line derives from a legend about love birds, while Kawika's Crown is inspired by King David Kalakaua.

Munezuka said the Ku, Lono, and Kanaloa medallions honor the gods.

The Manaola line consists of medallions, pendants, rings and a money clip. The pieces cost $56 to $468. Soon to be added is the Olomau line, hand-cut crystals that Munezuka refers to as "healing stones."

Also in the works are designs inspired by the five sacred plants of hula: maile, 'ohi'a lehua, 'ie'ie, hala pepe and palapalai.

Reach Paula Rath at paularath@aol.com.