How to tell if Hawaiian jewelry is really made in Hawaiʻi

Under Hawaiʻi law, a piece of jewelry can be sold or advertised as “made in Hawaii” only if it was made in the state and at least 51 percent of its wholesale value was added there (Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes §486-119). Phrases such as “designed in Hawaii”, “Hawaiian style” or a tag that simply says “Hawaii” make no such promise. The three quickest checks are to read the exact wording on the tag, to look for a karat stamp and a maker’s mark you can trace to a Hawaiʻi workshop, and to ask where the piece was cast and where it was engraved.

What Hawaiʻi law says about “made in Hawaii”

Section 486-119 of the Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes has two parts. Subsection (a) covers craft items and other goods that don’t spoil, which is where jewelry falls. It bars selling merchandise labeled “made in Hawaii”, or using the phrase to advertise a craft item, unless the item was made in Hawaiʻi and at least 51 percent of its wholesale value was added by work done in the state. Subsection (b) sets a separate rule for perishable goods such as food.

The Department of Agriculture’s copy of the statute says violations can bring civil and administrative fines of up to $2,000 per day or per offense, and stop-use and stop-sale orders.

Has the rule changed recently? Not as far as we could find. In the 2023 and 2024 sessions, SB113 and HB266 proposed counting operating and overhead costs spent in Hawaiʻi toward the 51 percent, and HB2028 (2024) proposed giving enforcement to the attorney general and funding the “Hawaii Made” brand. We found no record that any of them became law, and the current statute text still reads 51 percent. In 2024 the Legislature also asked DBEDT to study the state’s two made-in-Hawaiʻi brands, and Hawaii Business reported that the threshold could be relaxed.

What 51 percent of wholesale value means for jewelry. The test counts value added by work in Hawaiʻi. Gold is mined and refined elsewhere, so on a heavy gold bracelet the metal can be a large share of the wholesale value, and the casting, forming, engraving, polishing and finishing done here have to add enough on top of it. A piece cast and finished overseas and given only a name here is unlikely to qualify. A piece formed and hand-engraved at a Honolulu bench usually will. Between those two, it depends on the numbers, and only the seller has them.

The labels you’ll see, and what each one promises

Wording or mark	What it tells you	Rule behind it
“Made in Hawaii” or “Made in Hawaiʻi”	Made in the state, with at least 51% of wholesale value added here	HRS §486-119
Made in Hawaiʻi with Aloha logo	The product was certified by the state Department of Agriculture	HRS §486-119, through an application and a cost worksheet
Hawaiʻi Made listing or logo	The brand is listed in DBEDT’s program for local companies	DBEDT’s listing criteria, which refer to §486-119
“Designed in Hawaii”	The design came from Hawaiʻi; the piece may have been made anywhere	No specific state threshold that we found
“Hawaiian style”, “island inspired”, “heirloom style”	The look, not the origin	None
A tag or card that says “Hawaii” or “Aloha”	Where it was sold, usually	None
“Made in USA”	All or virtually all made in the United States, which includes the mainland	FTC rule, 16 CFR Part 323
Another country on the tag, card or box	Imported	Federal origin marking

Most jewelry made in Hawaiʻi carries neither state logo, because both programs are voluntary. A missing logo is not a red flag. A logo is a useful extra sign when you see one.

How the federal “Made in USA” rule compares

The Federal Trade Commission’s Made in USA Labeling Rule (16 CFR Part 323) took effect on August 13, 2021. An unqualified “Made in USA” label requires that final assembly or processing happens in the United States, that all significant processing happens there, and that all or virtually all components are made and sourced there.

That standard is stricter about content than Hawaiʻi’s 51 percent test, but it covers the whole country. A bracelet made in a mainland factory can honestly say “Made in USA” and still not be made in Hawaiʻi. If a seller answers “is this made here?” with “it’s made in the USA”, ask which state.

The three quickest checks in a shop

1. Read the exact words. “Made in Hawaii” is a legal claim. “Designed in Hawaii”, “Hawaiian heirloom style” and “Hawaii” on a card are not. When a display mixes them, ask which pieces the “made in Hawaii” sign covers.

2. Turn the piece over. Look inside the ring or bracelet, or on the back of a pendant, for a karat stamp such as 14K or 585 and a maker’s mark next to it. Under the National Gold and Silver Stamping Act, whoever applies a gold or silver quality mark must also put their registered trademark or name on the piece (15 U.S.C. §297). Ask whose mark it is, and whether that maker works in Hawaiʻi. Our guide to gold karat stamps and hallmarks explains the marks.

3. Ask two questions. Where was this cast or formed? Where was it engraved? The answers can differ: a blank made in one place and engraved in another is common. A seller who makes the piece can answer both at once and usually enjoys doing so. Our guide to hand-engraved and machine-engraved jewelry shows how to check the second answer yourself with a loupe.

More ways to check, if you have time

• Watch the engraving. Some shops engrave names at a bench in the store or in a workshop behind it. Ask whether you can watch. Our where to buy guide notes which listed businesses say they work on the premises.
• Compare pieces of the same design. Hand-engraved pieces each differ a little. A tray of identical bracelets in every size, with identical scroll, was probably cast or machine-engraved, which isn’t proof of where, but it is worth a question.
• Ask how long a name takes, and where that work happens. A same-day or next-day name usually means a bench nearby. If the answer is “we send it out”, ask where.
• Get it in writing. Ask for the receipt to state the karat, the weight in grams, and “made in Hawaii” if that was the claim. A written claim is easier to take up later.

What to ask the seller

• Is this piece made in Hawaiʻi, and does it meet the state’s 51 percent rule?
• Where was it cast or formed, and where was it engraved?
• Whose maker’s mark is this?
• Is the engraving done by hand here, by machine, or cast in?
• Can you put the karat, weight and origin on the receipt?

Red flags

• A Hawaiʻi place name standing in for an origin. “Hawaii” in large type and “designed in” or “distributed by” in small type.
• A “made in Hawaii” sign over a mixed display, with no clear answer about which pieces it covers.
• The same piece, with the same tag, in shops on different islands under different names.
• A karat stamp with no maker’s mark beside it, or a mark nobody in the shop can identify.
• Vague or changing answers to “where was it made?” A maker knows.
• A price far below comparable pieces. Our Hawaiian jewelry price guide shows what similar pieces sold for in our survey.

If you think a “made in Hawaii” label is false, the Department of Agriculture runs the state’s made-in-Hawaiʻi program and is the agency named on the statute page we cite.