The high price of gold was initially a boon to those with unwanted or broken pieces of jewelry they could part with for instant cash, but both jewelry shops and their customers had a new dilemma when the escalating costs priced a majority of buyers out of the market for gold jewelry.

Yet the desire for personal ornamentation is so primal that every culture developed its own form of jewelry, from the beauty of a single flower in the hair, to lei, to clay beads or African lip discs. No one wanted to give up jewelry, and holidays such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day almost demand consideration of pretty, sparkly things.

Enter customizable jewelry. While once Pandora ruled the Hawaii market — with 20 locations throughout the islands, including a stand-alone store at Ala Moana Center and within Ben Bridge Pearlridge and Jewel Flair at Ward Warehouse — the past year has brought a slew of options.

At family-run Royal Hawaiian Heritage Jewelry, Jackie Breeden said the store noticed business flagging due to the high price of gold and was looking for new jewelry items to offer. Last summer it introduced Chamilia, a flashier, colorful line which, like Pandora, starts with a basic bracelet to which customers can add beads as they can afford them.

While a starter bracelet with a single charm can cost about $100, filling a bracelet will cost about $1,000. Each bead tells a story about its wearer, whether it’s of a favorite color or birthstone, or representations of a particular hobby or vocation.

"For us it fits our story about family and heritage and how traditions live on," Breeden said. "A mother passes on a piece of jewelry to her daughter, who passes it on to her daughter as a family heirloom that tells a story.

"It’s fun when guys come in and try to choose. They’ll pick footballs or volleyballs. They also bring their kids and ask them to pick a charm for mom. Luckily, little girls are more in tune with their moms, so they’ll pick shopping bags, lipsticks."

A starter sterling-silver Chamilia bracelet is $55, a leather wrap bracelet is about $45 and beads start at $35 apiece, running up to about $175. Many of the beads incorporate Swa­rov­ski crystals; others are made of Murano glass.

"They were smart. They made their beads so that they’re interchangeable with Pandora and all the other brands out there," Breeden said.

For Valentine’s Day the Swa­rov­ski boutique at Ala Moana Center is offering new designs from the Swa­rov­ski Chamilia Joint Collection. The customizable collection of bracelets and necklaces features beads of faceted and baguette-cut Swa­rov­ski crystal beads, at about $40 to $106 each.

With THE SUCCESS of Chamilia, Breeden said Royal Hawaiian Heritage Jewelry picked up Trollbeads a few months later. Trollbeads started in Denmark, followed by Pandora in 1982.

"They were the original company making this kind of jewelry since 1976, but it took them a while to catch on here," Breeden said.

Although Trollbeads do not generally fit on Pandora bracelets, Breeden said the company recently conceded some ground and came out with sets of universal beads that will fit other companies’ carriers.

Trollbeads will likely have a hit in Hawaii with the launch of its first collection of 2012, the Chinese Hidden Zodiac. The limited-edition collection features the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac, at $52 each. Breeden said many people will likely pick up their own animal symbol, as well as the dragon to mark the year.

AT A LOWER price point, the newest competitor on the customizable scene is Origami Owl, which launched nationally on Jan. 3. The brand was started by 14-year-old Isabella Weems in Chandler, Ariz., two years ago.

According to local sales rep Stacy Cassidy, Weems initially wanted to start a venture that would allow her to raise $2,500 to buy a car for her 16th birthday this June. She envisioned customizable "Living Lockets" she could sell to friends, and started her business with $350 in baby-sitting money and a matching amount from her parents and has far exceeded her initial goal though she hasn’t yet picked her car.

Every see-through glass locket can be filled with charms to reflect its wearer’s personality. Her business grew enough for her to establish a few kiosks in area malls, but in order to grow on a budget, the company recently reintroduced a concept that worked for Weems in the beginning: direct sales through independent "designers" blanketing the nation with Origami Owl home parties and trade shows.

Cassidy is the first to introduce Origami Owl to Hawaii because she had a friend in Arizona who told her Weems’ story.

"I loved that you could personalize it and tell your own story. They’re really such special gifts. One of my friends gave one to her sister, and she called her back crying, ‘This is so special.’"

Origami Owl offers eight styles and sizes of lockets in silver plate, gold plate, rose gold tone and brushed gold tone, with and without a crystal-jeweled bevel. They range in price from $18 to $36, with the smallest locket able to hold three charms and the largest about eight to 12 charms, depending on their size. Charms are about $4.50 each, although Cassidy is offering a buy-four-get-one-free price of $18. The charms come in 16 categories including "Hobbies and Occupations," "Celebrations," "Love," "Faith," "Animals," "Food" and "Sorority."

The "Travel" category contains many a charm befitting Hawaii. Sure, there’s the Eiffel Tower and a London phone booth, but there’s also a palm tree, pair of slippers, plumeria, sunset shell and starfish.

In an election year there may also be people who opt to make a political statement with a red, white and blue elephant or donkey charm.

Beyond the basic locket and chain, there are longer and thicker chain options, dangling charms and metal plates inscribed with words like "love," "faith," "dream" and "blessed" to form a backdrop for charms.

In Cassidy’s own locket she keeps only four charms — her birthstone, a cross to represent her faith, a plumeria and slippers — but she said most people have trouble deciding and will go for the maximum number their lockets will hold.

She said it’s always fun to see which charms people pick, and it’s difficult to discern any trend because people are so diverse. "In the beginning a lot of red stilettos sold, and soccer moms like the soccer balls. Teacups were also popular, and when I did a dance studio fundraiser, the ballet shoes went."