Hawaiian rings: styles, sizing and what to look for

A Hawaiian ring is a gold band, usually 4 to 8 mm wide, hand-engraved with scroll or an island motif such as plumeria, maile or honu, and often carrying a name or Hawaiian word. It takes the look of the heirloom bracelet and puts it on the finger, so it is worn every day and given for the same reasons: a graduation, an engagement, a promise, a memory. The things to check are the karat, whether the band is solid, how it was engraved, and a size measured in a band of similar width.

Where the style comes from

Hawaiian heirloom jewelry began with gold bracelets in the Victorian style, worn by Hawaiian royalty in the 1860s. Rings followed later, borrowing the same scrollwork, flowers and lettering. Our guide to Hawaiian heirloom jewelry tells the history with sources.

The main styles

The engraved band. The most common Hawaiian ring: a domed or flat gold band cut with a pattern that runs all the way round. Scroll is traditional; maile, plumeria, honu and naupaka are the other usual choices. Our guide to symbols and meanings explains what each one stands for.

The name ring. A band with a name or word across the front, framed by scroll. On traditional pieces the background is cut away so the letters stand up, sometimes filled with black enamel. On others the letters are engraved in script. A name ring has a front, so it sits one way on the finger.

The inlay ring. A channel of koa wood or shell set between two gold rails, with the rails engraved. Koa is a Hawaiian hardwood with a warm, changing grain, so no two rings look the same. Inlay rings need a little more care and resize less than all-gold bands.

Widths. 4 mm is slim and suits small hands or stacking. 6 mm is the middle ground, wide enough to read a motif at arm’s length. 8 mm is bold and lets the engraving breathe. Our wedding band width guide applies to any ring.

Metals. 14k yellow, white and rose gold are the usual choices. Two-tone rings, often with a white gold edge and yellow centre, are also common.

How to choose

Width and design. Choose the motif that holds a story for you, then a width that suits your hand. If you want a name on the front, 6 mm and wider gives the letters room.

Size. Have a jeweler size you, ideally with a sizer close to the width you are ordering, because wider bands fit more snugly. Many people go up half a size for 6 mm and above. A comfort-fit inside, rounded rather than flat, slides over the knuckle more easily and feels slightly roomier; comfort fit explained shows how. Our ring size guide and the full size guide have charts in US and Japanese sizes.

Engraving. Decide whether you want a word on the outside, a private line inside, or both. Hawaiian words should carry the ʻokina and kahakō. Our engraving guide shows what fits on each piece and which characters you can use.

Price. Width, finger size, karat and construction decide how much gold goes in. Our guide to what Hawaiian jewelry costs covers the rest.

Quality checks before you buy

• Karat stamp. Look inside the band for 14K, 585 or similar. In the US, a quality stamp is meant to sit next to the maker’s name or trademark.
• Solid or hollow. Some light rings are hollow or have a hollowed-out inside. They are cheaper but bend and dent more easily, and under the FTC’s Jewelry Guides they should not be called solid.
• Plated or filled. “Gold plated”, “gold filled” and “gold tone” mean a thin gold layer, or just a colour, over another metal.
• Weight. Ask for the gram weight. It is the fairest way to compare two rings of the same width and size.
• Hand or machine engraving. Hand-cut lines are bright, slightly varied and deep. Machine and laser engraving is shallow and perfectly uniform. Ask how the piece was engraved.
• Where it was made. A ring sold as “made in Hawaii” in the state must be made there with most of its value added there. Ask where the band was formed and engraved.
• Resize limits. Ask how far the ring can be resized. A pattern that wraps all the way round has limits, and inlay rings more so.

Care

Take rings off for swimming, the gym, gardening and heavy work. Clean gold with warm water and mild soap and dry it well; clean inlay rings with a soft dry cloth only. White gold is often plated with rhodium for a brighter white, and that plating wears with time and can be renewed by a jeweler. Our care guide and koa and shell inlay care have more.

What we make

We make two rings, both made to order and engraved by hand at our bench in Hawaiʻi. The Heirloom Scroll Ring is a solid 14k gold band with a comfort-fit inside, in 4, 6 or 8 mm, cut with scroll, plumeria, maile, naupaka or honu, with room for a word outside and a line inside. The Koa Inlay Ring sets Hawaiian koa between 14k gold rails engraved with maile, plumeria or scroll. Both come in US sizes 3 to 15, including half sizes, in yellow, white or rose gold.

We send a proof with your size and engraving before we start. After delivery there is one free resize within 30 days where the design allows, a one-year workmanship warranty, and free shipping within the US. If you are looking for a wedding ring, see our guide to Hawaiian wedding bands.