Aloha and welcome to Kaniwai. The owner and designer of our company is my mother Raelynn Broad-Kela. She was born and raised on the island of Oahu in a small town called Kāne'ohe. Since a young age she’s always enjoyed being close to the ocean, if she wasn’t surfing or paddling you would probably find her snorkeling for some shells. Right out of high school in 1981 my mom joined the United States Army Reserve to be able to go to college and further her education. In 1987, she became a fight attendant for Hawaiian Airlines. Got married to my father in 1992 Adren Kela, and they had two daughters. In 2006 my mom retired from the United States Army Reserve as a Sergeant Major (E9), following her retirement Kaniwai was then created.

Kaniwai is my moms passion, flowing into each and every piece of jewelry that she creates. She loves watching the wind gush in right before the calm of the rain. Because of that she named myself Makani (wind), and my baby sister Nawai (waters). Kanwai has evolved over the years. Today we are not only doing simple Tahitian pearl jewelry on our durable waterproof cording, but also incorporating gemstones, glass, and wood. Sandalwood in particular came to my mom in a vision she had while she was paddling. She fell in love with the way the ocean met the land, after God blessed her with her first mo’opuna (grandchild) Tahetaheavai which in Tahitian means the center/heart of a tree.