About Kauhale Crafts

I lived on O'ahu, Hawai'i for the first 40 or so years of my life. After earning 2(!) degrees at the University of Hawai'i in Health Science and later Medical Laboratory Science, I could not find any openings at our hospitals. I took a giant leap and moved to Texas in 2011. I miss home every day and try to live by the concepts of pono (goodness/balance), kuleana (responsibility), mālama (caretaking), aloha (compassion), na'auao (knowledge) and a'o (learning). These concepts, and others, shaped my worldview and effects every thing I do. 

My time in Austin has been rewarding. I have held a variety of jobs in hospital labs, a genetics lab, and at a large reference lab, including being the supervisor for a start-up lab. I have also taken road trips, visited other states, and have been blessed to enjoy many musical acts and comedy shows that are a rarity in the islands. I reconnect with home as often as I can, by visiting and by forging connections with other kama'aina (Hawai'i locals) whenever I find one, and by finding eateries that feature the comfort foods from home - which are hard to find in Texas.

So, why jewelry? Every few years, I take up a new hobby or learn a new skill to keep my mind fresh (a'o in practice) when lab work seems routine and uninspiring. These self-inflicted "learning opportunities" have been as varied as gardening, small construction and home-improvement projects, restoring furniture from the side of the road, and picking up new languages. I like to keep my mind and creativity active. They say it's useful to stave off mental decline, so why not? When I first started dabbling with jewelry it was just to stay busy. As my inventory grew I decided to make some of my better pieces available to others.

I am not Hawaiian nor are my designs reflective of the island culture. However, my decades of life in Hawai'i shaped me as a person, ever since my "hana batta days". I try to embody the caring and community values that I was raised in, because they are ingrained in me. My house is named "Kauhale" which means "homestead". In this way I acknowledge both my current life in Austin and my island roots.

I hope you like these creations as much as I do!

Aloha kākou! (Love to all)