Trip to Japan

Mana & I were fortunate to go on a trip to Japan this past August. We were invited to dance exhibition with Maeva Goo's group in the Tahiti Heiva in Japan. It was our first time to Japan and our first time to a Heiva in Japan (for those of you who don't know, a Heiva is a Tahitian Dance competition and culture celebration. We were not there for competition, but to make a show and teach dance and music workshops.) We were amazed at how many Japanese women belong to a Tahitian Dance group and also at how many Tahitian Dance groups there were! They danced with energy, enthusiasm, and seemed to enjoy themselves. One group had the most amount of people on stage at one time, we had ever seen. We could not believe our eyes, it must have been really hot for the dancers in the middle because eventhough the stage was big, they had to be really close together to fit on there.

The Tahiti Heiva in Japan also had a Miss Heiva competition. The winner was, Natasha, a beautiful Japanese girl and really good dancer. I ran into her at a party in Hawaii and was happy to see she was wearing Purotu earrings.

One of the highlights of the trip was not only to be able to meet and hang out with two of my favorite musicians, Tapuarii, and Sabrina; but we also got to enjoy our own personal live concert on the rehersals night.

Tapuarii and Sabrina are so amazing to hear live, they sing with joy and passion. They also brought with them from Tahiti, a guitarist named Manaiva, and Sabrina's husband Karl on the accoustics. They were all really nice and fun people. We are hoping to bring them out to Oahu for a concert one of these days... Send me an email if you would be interested in coming to their concert, and when we figure it out, I will send an email with all the infos.

The organizers of the Tahiti Heiva in Japan are Ken (far right) and Tomomi (far left). They do an excellent job of organizing the whole event, which is a BIG task. We were really impressed with the organization and they took really good care of us. They even had staff for all the booths, this one in the picture below to the right of me bought 2 pairs of earrings, she's wearing the very popular Purotu "Tahitian Pearl Dangles." She was so nice.

We also ran into our friend Tomoko (middle) with her sister and mom. She danced with our group Ia Ora O Tahiti Nui for the Heiva I Honolulu last March, and she recently went back home to Japan.

Besides rehersing for the show, teaching workshops, performing two nights, and some of us judging the competitions; we were able to see some of Japan as well. We went bowling, shopped at Haryjuko, which is a city that has a big street with a lot of shops and people dress up in very unique styles. Some are dressed like dolls, and some are kind of scary looking. While we were there, it started pouring rain and not the warm kind of rain we are used to in Hawaii. It went from being warm, to pouring huge drops of freezing cold rain. Everyone had to hide out in the shop doorways. Our musicians happened to be near a hat shop when it started raining and I guess they were bored waiting for the rain to stop and when we found them, they all had bought hats.

We also went to Shibuya, it is very crowded there and there are huge t.v. screens in the streets. On the day before our last day, we did some site seeing in Kamakura and spent the day at the beach.

Everyone was really cool and we were happy to go on this trip and experience Japan with such a great group of people.

Goddess Collection Launch

We are proud to announce the launch of our newest collection, The Goddess Collection; Tahitian Pearl Jewelry inspired by Polynesian Gods and Goddesses. It can be found on our website @ http://www.purotudesigns.com/ under "Goddess Collection" on the left column. For this collection, we chose 5 gods, Tane, Tu, Ro'o Ta'aroa, and Maui; and 5 goddesses, Pele, Hina, Haumea, Poliahu, and Laka. Some of the gods/goddesses are known throughout the widespread islands of Polynesia, some are localized to certain areas in Hawaii. The legends of these characters are ancient and have been passed down for generations through story telling and dance. Throughout the islands of Polynesia, the stories vary from one another but the basic elements remain the same.

As dancers, we have performed stories about some of these characters in our performances, but to create jewelry based on these stories was a new challenge for us. We thoroughly researched each god and goddess, then figured out what materials would best represent these characters. For example Hina is described throughout Polynesia as goddess of the moon and ocean, so for her we chose a large Mother of Pearl shell, since it is from the ocean of French Polynesia and it also resembles the moon, the way it shines brightly. Mana had to polish the shell up a little bit since we get the shells from Arutua and they have not been proccessed in a factory. Then I set three Tahitian Pearls on the shell, representing the three phases of life that Hina is often associated with.

There are 3 categories for each goddess, Fabulous, Fresh, and Simple. The Fabulous jewelry would most likely be worn for a very special occasion where you would want to look absolutely fabulous and stunning.

The Fresh Collection is fabulous and stunning as well, but can be dressed down for more casual wear.

The Simple Collection is a handstamped ring on a chain with the goddess name, for everyday casual wear for those who want to take the Goddess inspiration with them.

For the men, we have the Magnificent Collection, that is large jewelry to be worn for a special time. The Everyday Collection is more practical men's jewelry for daily wear or a night out.

We also created matching men and women sets for couples.

On the website you can find all of this jewelry as well as the goreous photos and some ancient stories that accompany the jewelry. Each piece is one of a kind so once an item has sold, we create another and post a new photo. If you have special request, don't hesitate to email us, we also make to order for specific sizes, etc.

The Goddess Collection was a big project for us, it took a lot of time, energy, and investment. We would like to thank our parents for their help, our friends and family for their support and encouragement, Hawane Rios for the inspiration, Kuiokalani Gapero for his help, Christian James Photography and MJ Pics Hawaii, Models Alexandria Gasper, Hawane Rios, and Kaina Makua; and make-up artists, Pat Reglos, Ligia Barnett, and Deja.

Purotu Jewelry in Kailua Boutique, Flower Child

The new hip Kailua Boutique, Flower Child, now carries Purotu Tahitian Pearl Jewelry. The store is located at 41 Kihapai Street, Kailua, Hawaii (Island of Oahu). The phone number is 808-263-0288
The owner is local Kailua girl, Hawley Quick.
Store Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 10:30am-5:30pm; Saturday, 11am-6pm; Closed Sundays and Mondays.

Etsy

What is Etsy? Etsy is a very cool online marketplace that is designed for people who make their own products ranging from Bath and Body items, Clothing, Jewelry, and everything in between. The producer/seller posts their items for sale, and shoppers can purchase directly from the seller. It is nice for shoppers because they can find unique and high quality handmade items while shopping from their own home, they just make their purchase online and the package arrives a few days later. Etsy also has a "Supplies" section so people who make things can also purchase hard to find items online and the search function is very efficient so it is easy to find exactly what you are looking for. I shop for some of my jewelry making supplies on Etsy and I also have a favorite Etsy Shop, Angel Face Botanicals that I always buy my Spa type products from. The thing I love about Etsy is that it enables a lot of stay-at-home moms like myself to have their own little business and take care of the household at the same time, how convenient!

Purotu Designs exclusive Tahitian Pearl jewelry can now be found on Etsy at http://www.purotu.etsy.com/