Stylish jewelry for all – PONO by Joan Goodman
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Marilyn may have been on the right track when she said “diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” but—with all due respect to Material Girls past and present—I’ve always been a costume jewelry-kind-of-gal. Well I don’t exactly turn down the diamond jewelry that my guy gifts me on special occasions, but those pieces do spend more time in the velvet box than their chunky, funky counterparts. Why? Well, costume jewelry is simply more interesting. Today we are talking about chunky, funky, interesting and fun when we talk about PONO.
Long a favorite at we heart this (as well as many celebrities and stylists), PONO is a line of accessories created by businesswoman Joan Goodman. Goodman was first inspired to create this line after moving from New York to Hawaii back in the seventies and meeting her best friend, Pono. In Hawaiian “pono” means goodness, righteousness, virtuous and necessity (among others). Many years later the accessory line Goodman would create would bear her best friend’s name and invoke the qualities of its meaning.
As president of Bobbi Trim Ltd., a button manufacturer and distributor in New York City whose clients include everyone from Marc Jacobs to Vera Wang, Goodman was finally able to expand the family business to include her long envisioned accessory line six years ago. Ever since, this blend of vintage meets classic with a nod to the here and now has been seen everywhere, from the arms of television’s Gossip Girls and Stacy London of What Not To Wear, to publications such as Women’s Wear Daily, InStyle and O Magazine.
Back in my teenage years when diamonds weren’t even an option, my accessories were pretty much limited to finds from my mom’s old jewelry box (stashed with great Bakelite, Lucite and resins from the ‘50’s and ‘60’s). Mom’s jewelry box was great, but today PONO offers grown-up accessorizing options inspired by the vintage design I love. Classic elements, nature and a very modern concern for the environment are also part of PONO’s inspiration, all of which are achieved through the use of Italian resins, shells and natural woods and horn.
The bracelet I received from PONO is the gorgeous Blackhorn Cuff made from Italian acetate. Blacks, browns, nudes and creams swirl together in a seamless wave (a similar version shown far left in above image). After discovering the Hawaiian inspiration of this line, I am constantly reminded of the clash of powdery-soft taupe sand pushed to hot and heavy black obsidian beaches by crashing, foaming waves. This little bit of tropical inspiration looks as fantastic with jeans and a tee as it does with a Little Black Dress. Dressing up or dressing down, this cuff has a way of fitting in and polishing that final look.
Looking over PONO’s line, it seems that all their accessories have the same versatility, making these pieces must-haves for any wardrobe. Goodman wasn’t kidding when she choose to lend the meaning of “pono” to her line since it truly is a “necessity.”
In addition to the amazing cuffs (mine might as well be welded to my wrist at this point since I wear it EVERY SINGLE DAY), wht also received hand faceted Italian crystal rock resin bangle Faceted Bracelets available in a rainbow of colors including clear, bamboo, rattan, cancun, apricot and seagrass (above image). These crackled looking, solid bracelets are substantial enough to make a statement on its own and easily mixed with any number of shapes and colors for the current “pile them on” bracelet look. If you like what you see here, make sure to check out the PONO facebook page for fashion news, more jewelry images and updates on the latest releases from PONO.
Sending us these fantastic bracelets made this wht reviewer truly thankful, but these do-gooders did even better! PONO graciously donate 50 of their stunning Royal Choker necklaces for the Raffle for the Rescues gift bags! What I’m feeling here must be more than just puppy love…
We heart this testers, does PONO fulfill your need for versatile fun jewelry while inspiring you to bask on a black sand beach under a coconut tree…with a really cute, newly-adopted doggie?
Sherri is co-author of What Would You Do With This Room?
Disclosure: This review includes products that were provided by the manufacturer/PR firm for our consideration. For more info, or any questions, please see our disclosure policy.
I’m such a sucker for amazing statement jewelry, but I feel like I can never pull it off. Amazing cuffs and bracelets are one of my faves, but I have such small wrists/hands I only really “fit” in child size watches/bracelets/etc. Big cuffs are always falling off! But I think I need to give ’em another chance, the styling of these cuffs are just too beautiful to pass up!
I love how the company is truly living up to the meaning of their name! Hats off to you, what a great donation to a wonderful cause.
@sherrishera, thanks for your introduction to this fabulous line! I’ve collected costume jewelry since I was a very little girl and these pieces look like the collectables of the future, besides being something I’d love to wear now. And how generous of PONO to donate to Raffle for the Rescues! I’m a brand new fan!
Funny thing, I did my review of PONO on my site today too. I am in LOOOOVE with everything. The chain link necklaces are to die for and make everything so fresh and fun!
@dwj1 – wow, what spooky timing! Great minds must think alike. Everybody, check out the amazing necklace Dana got to play with:
http://theartofaccessories.com/blog/2010/09/22/how-to-accessorize-pono-edition/
And btw, welcome Dana as our new fashion writer! Her blog is amazing and we’re so thrilled to have her.
Anyway, back to PONO. Love, love LOVE this company! Every piece I see is more beautiful than the next. And really, the more inexpensive pieces are just as gorgeous as the pricey ones.
This time around I got the Faceted Bracelet in apricot (the chunky one, I’m all about the chunk!) This piece is only $44 and is an absolute statement piece. I plan outfits around it! And I get as many compliments on it as my PONO bangle that cost WAY more.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that my PONO pieces are my favorites in my jewelry collection.
Keep an eye on their store too, they have sales! You know we heart a sale…
thanks for the review @sherrishera! I was dying over that tortoise cuff and then I clicked through and saw those gorgeous faceted bracelets! These accessories clearly go very far with tons of outfits – I love my funky jewelry, but you always need versatile pieces! I also love that the company was named after a best friend :)
Confession time: I just couldn’t make up my mind whether I wanted to test the incredible Blackhorn Cuff or the Faceted Bangle Bracelet so I decided to let Sherri pick her piece from my final choices. But in the week before she was able to drop by for her wht tester package, I wore them BOTH. Heh – it’s a perk of running the site (and hopefully, Sherri doesn’t mind).
So, I ended up with the Faceted Bracelet in Seagrass in two different sizes. I wear the large one as a single statement piece, both together or mix one or both in with a bunch of bangle bracelets with less impact. I also wore the small Faceted Bracelet with the Blackhorn Cuff – loved it!
The point is – these pieces are fun, interchangable and easy to wear. As Sherri mentioned, just throwing on a single PONO piece with jeans and a simple top makes a fashion statement. And, here in LA, I’ve had many women stop and ask “Is that a PONO?” so hooray for this little line that’s making such a splash!
An easy 5 stars without even getting into PONO’s amazingly generous contribution to the Raffle for the Rescues!
Also (didn’t want it to get lost inmy review) a hearty welcome to the fab @dwj1 – can’t wait to see what stylish finds she shares with us.
And do check out the stunning Matte Turquoise necklace from PONO on her site – I must have it.
@dwj1 I looove the necklace on your blog! I was thinking these cuffs aren’t exactly my style (though very pretty). But that necklace – love it! Their choice of materials totally has a retro feel.
I love Tortoise shell. It just never goes out of style…
I second that I love Tortoise shell as well. I am falling in love with Pono!
Oh yes, a big warm welcome to the fab @dwj1!
I love the Tortoise shell too.. I’ve loved it for years, and have many a thing that has Tortoise shell.. some are more gorgeous than others.. but my eyes are drawn to them all regardless! So classic looking!
Oooo…this is definately a five-star line! @Tyna, did I steal your fave? I was torn when I saw the faceted bracelet in seagrass, but that cuff made my heart thump!
All this fabulousness would have been great all by itself but when they donated to the saving the furry set, they soared off the Pono virtuous necessity charts!
Thanks for the introduction to this line! I am a sucker for cuff bracelets and these look just gorgeous…can’t wait to check out some of their other pieces too!
What a generous company!! And the jewelery is gorgeous! I can’t wait to get a piece for myself!
I am a costume jewelry kinda girl too! Love these bracelets. The tortoise shell is my favorite, but seriously they are all cute.
I’ve always felt like I can’t pull off bulky jewelry but this line looks so versatile and chic. I’m really excited to purchase a cuff – which is a look I actually can pull off! I like the history of the Pono brand too – thank you @sherrishera for going into those sweet details.
That is so awesome that Pono is donating items for the raffle! I checked out their website and they have so many great pieces–I’m really eyeing that Transparent Marquette bracelet…