April Birthstone: The Diamond
We don’t talk about birthstones every single month, but we love any opportunity to talk about our favorite gemstones. Diamonds are among our favorite gemstones. The diamond is the birthstone…
With its Hawaiian name, Na Hoku, means ‘stars’ and it markets its products through its Hawaiian roots. Both the branding and the designs incorporate Hawaiian themes, although some instances succeed more than others.
Since its establishment in 1924, Na Hoku has grown to 59 stores across Hawaii and the United States, making it the largest jewelry retailer in Hawaii. Diamonds have never really been the focus of this jewelers, and instead it rests on its Hawaiian charm. Is their starry marketing enough to convince you to buy jewelry from them?
Na Hoku at a Glance
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Unlike traditional jewelry stores found across the United States, Na Hoku use their heritage to boost their jewelry and sales. Their ethos is based on supporting local Hawaiian jewelry designers and manufacturers and their website heavily features them throughout.
During Polynesian voyages throughout the Pacific, Na Hoku, or ‘the stars’, served as guides. In the modern day, Na Hoku is the essence of Hawaiian and Island Lifestyle captured in collections of fascinating jewelry.
2. What is most appealing about Na Hoku?
Grading Authority
If you come to Na Hoku expecting to browse and learn about high quality diamonds, you will be disappointed. Na Hoku simply do not view diamonds as their selling point, so this is less a criticism and more a factual statement.
The diamond has absolutely no information, nor are there any high-resolution images to determine its quality. In other words, you would be buying this diamond blindly. For a beginner buyer, this presents a major problem when purchasing an engagement ring or jewelry.
The diamonds are significantly devalued since they are not accompanied by GIA certificates, and we simply wouldn’t mind considering them.
Having diamond education available is the bare minimum for buyers. It’s redeemable that they sell IGI-certified diamonds, but it is completely inexcusable that they neglect certification so profoundly. In the absence of quality information, we cannot recommend them for diamond jewelry.
Na Hoku does not specialize in diamonds like Whiteflash, Blue Nile and James Allen do, they offer diamond certification from top-tier laboratories with competitive pricing, complete with high-res imaging and videos.
Variety
Na Hoku offers unique jewelry crafted by Hawaiian designers. You won’t find these pieces anywhere else. While it makes them stand out, jewelry made by Hawaiian jewelers does limit the selection considerably.
Hawaiian slippers, palm trees, and flowers are some of their most popular pieces.
Unless they are ready-made rings, there are fewer choices of settings and diamonds to choose from. Despite their other jewelry being very creative and unusual, they have played the safe card when it comes to engagement rings and solitaires.
Unfortunately, the settings are quite generic, despite their beauty, and you won’t find any extravagant diamond shapes.
Ease of Use
There’s something quite endearing about Na Hoku’s website. In addition to different jewelry collections, Na Hoku’s website displays gorgeous images of Hawaii’s scenery.
There is no serenity beyond that point, however. You can search for different jewelry quite easily, however you cannot filter by diamond quality to narrow down your options. It is possible to choose between different ring settings and metal types – anything beyond that is not readily available.
Among the unique aspects of the site is the information they offer about Hawaiian culture and how they incorporate it into their business which is a nice touch.
The Selection
Most of the custom orders done by Na Hoku are for engraving and specialized jewelry, such as gift oysters and resizing of chains, rings, and necklaces.
The Na Hoku Diamond Solitaire Collection was developed and designed exclusively to showcase the Na Hoku Solitaire Diamond. It is not possible to purchase Na Hoku Solitaire Diamond Rings or Na Hoku Solitaire Diamonds separately.
Which is a real shame for the pretty settings! This means you’re unable to redeem the poor diamond selection with a diamond of your choosing.
Not satisfied with Na Hoku’s diamond quality and poor certification? Our enormous inventory of loose diamonds offers flexibility to choose what's important to you in your diamond - equipped with all the specs, certs and details you desire.
The Experience
With Na Hoku being primarily a brick-and-mortar store, customers are able to view jewelry and engagement rings up close and personal.
As you enter the store, a sunset canvas hangs on the wall and tiki torches illuminate the room, but the entire theme feels gimmicky and unauthentic. With only a few props scattered around, the stores feel a little generic.
It’s a challenge to treat Na Hoku with the same level of disappointment as some of the other underwhelming mall jewelers as they don’t seem to be trying to corner that same market. In any case, the fact that they stock engagement rings suggests they’re hoping to draw some of that crowd, so it’s more regrettable than avoiding it completely.
Na Hoku’s real difference begins to show when it comes to the sales staff. In contrast to most jewelers we review, Na Hoku did not place a significant emphasis on diamonds or engagement rings from the beginning.
Retail stores have high overhead costs and need to keep inventory on hand. In effect, these costs are reflected in jewelry prices as an increase. Typically, you will not experience this when buying from an online jewelry store.
Online vetted vendors offer special collections of diamonds chosen for excellence in cut quality. Check out Whiteflash, Blue Nile™, and James Allen branded diamonds to discover the perfect piece for you.
3. What diamond and jewelry products does Na Hoku offer?
We have discussed our dissatisfaction with Na Hoku’s lack of diamond certifications. The focus of our discussion will instead be on Na Hoku’s Hawaii-inspired jewelry collections.
- Hawaiian Designers
- Pearl Jewelry
- Wave-inspired Pieces
- Waterfall-inspired Pieces
- Horizon Collection
- Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry
- As advertised pre-set jewelry
You may have trouble finding something at Na Hoku if you are looking for high quality diamond jewelry.
4. What sets Na Hoku apart from others?
Supports Hawaiian Designers: With a philosophy that celebrates the unique natural world found on its islands, Na Hoku’s entire brand is steeped in Hawaiian culture. Purchasing certain collections from them will result in directly supporting local island jewelers, as Na Hoku continues to produce their pieces on the island of Honolulu.
5. What does Na Hoku packaging look like?
Azure like the stunning Hawaiin ocean, the exterior gift box packaging with delicate gold foiled lettering is perfectly suited to the brand. In fact, we’d even go ahead and say we wish this was extended across their whole branding; including their stores.
It’s cardboard, not too flashy, and really leans into the easygoing island life. The ring box inside is entirely white, velvety and carries the same gold accents throughout.
Honestly, it’s no Tiffany box but we think it really suits the brand just fine. It’s not pretending to be anything it isn’t.
6. Are you the ideal Na Hoku customer?
While Na Hoku features some wonderfully Hawaiian-inspired jewelry that might help you reminisce about your vacation spent there, you should avoid them for any serious jewelry purchases.
There are some incredibly beautiful designs on the Na Hoku website. When it comes to waterfall bracelets or Hawaiian flower necklaces, you can search far and wide and you won’t find anything like them.
The jewelry produced by Na Hoku is a beautiful reflection of their heritage; however, we are disappointed that their engagement rings don’t reflect this same level of detail and creativity.
It’s unlikely that you’ll find a large or particularly exciting selection of options in their stores. Engagement rings and other bridal jewelry are so essential – as is finding a beautiful diamond at an affordable price – that a lackluster approach simply won’t cut it.
Despite the high price tag, they do not offer excellent-quality engagement rings or diamonds. As well as that, they do not offer a GIA certificate for their diamonds and offer minimal information across the board.
For an affordable ring with a great diamond and proper certification, you’re better off buying a diamond ring from a reputable online retailer, Whiteflash A CUT ABOVE, Astor by Blue Nile and James Allen True Hearts are the epitome of diamond quality and the standard diamonds should be held to. You won’t be disappointed with their superior prices and greater experience.
Whenever it comes to buying diamonds, we implore you to do your due diligence when it comes to observing the 4Cs and doing your due diligence.
Get fast answers to any question: Ask our community of unbiased independent helpers or use our diamond search to find your ideal diamond.
The information in this review is current, to the best of our knowledge, as of September, 2022.
