Where It All Began
It started with a one-way ticket and no real plan. In the year 2000, we packed our bags for what was supposed to be a short trip to Australia – and stayed for four months. Along the coast, we collected shells, stones, and driftwood, and somewhere between sunsets and campfires, we started turning them into jewelry. No business plan, no brand strategy – just the simple joy of making something beautiful with our hands. That feeling never left us, and it became the foundation of everything HANA LIMA is today.
Our Philosophy
„Hana Lima“ means „made by hand“ in Hawaiian, and that is not just our name — it is our promise. Each piece is handcrafted in our German workshop, with materials sourced from around the world. No machines, no shortcuts, no mass production. We believe that when you hold something made by human hands, you can feel the difference. Our designs are timeless and unisex because we make jewelry for people, not trends.
The Workshop
Our workshop is where the magic happens – though we would call it patience more than magic. Every piece begins as raw material on our workbench: shells, stones, leather, cord, metal findings. From there, it is shaped, knotted, assembled, and finished entirely by hand. Our family has roots in leatherwork going back to the 1920s, so craftsmanship is not something we learned from a YouTube tutorial. It is in our bones. After more than two decades of making jewelry this way, our hands know what to do before our minds catch up.
Coming to America
For over twenty years, HANA LIMA has been a trusted name in Germany and across Europe. Now, we are bringing our handmade jewelry to the United States, starting right here in Miami Beach. The sun, the ocean, the energy of this city – it feels like coming full circle back to those Australian beaches where it all started. We are not here to compete with fast fashion or chase the next trend. We are here to share something real: jewelry made with care, one piece at a time, by the same hands that have been doing this for decades.