Rako Pasefika hand-made Jewellery
These elegant earrings are made from Fiji Mother of Pearl shell, with waxed thread weaving the five shells together, finished with sterling silver hoops. The earrings are nestled in a hand-made masi pouch, made out of the inner bark of the paper Mulberry tree.
Masi is a famous Fijian cloth that is beautiful and natural, and complements the MOP shells. A beautiful Fijian treasure, Mother of Pearl earrings coupled with a Masi pouch, ideal as a gift.
Rako have carefully designed each piece so that the natural Fijian materials used have no customs restrictions. Each piece of Mother of Pearl shell has been carefully processed - this means it has been sanded, oiled and polished.
The only materials that have customs restrictions are feathers, Clam Shell, Red Vaivai seeds and any other seeds. That's why none of the Rako jewellery range contains these items. These are truly special, hand-made pieces that are unique to Fiji and Rako's Rotuman roots.
Elegant natural necklace made out of Fijian Coconut shell
This elegant necklace is hand-made by Rako Pasefika out of Fijian coconut shell sourced from the island of Rotuma. Using naturally abundant Coconuts, each mini-button is individually shaped out of coconut shell to just the right size, before being drilled to create the perfect incision. The coconut buttons are strung together using cotton fiber chord which is hand-woven.
Each of the 30 buttons is just over 1cm in diameter, with each piece being woven together to form the intricate design. There are three rows of coconuts with 5cm of chord either side before the coconut section starts. This is a delicate piece which sits close to the neck, similar to a choker necklace.
Customs-friendly jewellery
Rako Pasefika have carefully designed their stunning pieces to ensure that the natural materials used have no customs restrictions. Each Coconut shell has been carefully sanded, oiled and polished, meaning it has been processed and poses no customs threat.
This piece is also made out of Mother of Pearl shell and Vau. The mother of pearl like all others used in Rako's jewellery is grinded, sand papered and shined to show its amazing color. It is than cut and shaped to give a hook like appearance. The Vau is in its original color after it has been soaked, dried and shredded to give it that light brown color.
This piece is made out of mother of pearl, vau and cotton chord. The vau is made from the bark of a tree which is shredded then soaked in sea water for 2-3 weeks before it is finely shredded and put in the sun to dry. After drying, the vau is soaked in red dye to give it color.
This piece is inspired by the Armea bird which is found only on the island of Rotuma.