In her view, Tricia McCarthy was good at what she did as a civil litigator working in San Francisco.
"I grew up in a home where my dad loved to debate. Our family dinners often involved my dad and I debating the political and social issues of the day, with each of us taking a contrarian view for the sake of a good argument."
After undergraduate studies at the University of Southern California, continuing on to law school felt like a natural fit, given her love for debating.
"I was in practice for seven years, but I never loved it. I stayed longer than I should have. Arguing and fighting with people all day left me drained, and it wasn’t who I was in my heart."
To feed her soul, she preferred to work more collaboratively with nonprofit groups and left law in 1999 to found the Bridge of Books Foundation, which provides books to underprivileged and at-risk children to support literacy skills and encourage a love of reading.
"My whole career has been based on words. I have not been able to get away from words," she said of a phenomenon that holds true with her entry into the retail world with her Nalukai jewelry collection, launched online in August.
The jewelry tells each wearer’s story through a choice of 12 powerful words, in both Hawaiian and English, starting with the simple statement, "Believe."
McCarthy said the jewelry was inspired by her sister-in-law Laura McCarthy, who had battled breast cancer twice and as a survivor surprised everyone by cutting her hard-won, post-therapy long hair and having the Chinese character meaning "believe" tattooed on the back of her neck.
"It was such a powerful statement. I was moved by the idea that someone would have so much faith and thought about all the times during a day when I wished I had a word to represent how I wanted to move forward that day. Everyone needs a talisman or mantra," said McCarthy, who divides her time between Hawaii and San Francisco and was in town last week for a jewelry trade show.
She said she always felt a connection to the islands as a frequent visitor, traveling here with her family several times a year since 1979. She was drawn to the beauty of the Hawaiian language, and Nalukai’s charms, circular pendants and dog tag pendants feature a hand-carved English word on one side and its Hawaiian-language counterpart on the other.
In addition to "hilina‘i/believe," there are "maluhia/peace," "kulia/strive," ho‘oulu/inspire," "lokahi/harmony" and "ku makani/stand strong in the wind."
She said she never knows which word will appeal to a particular individual and is elated when she hears from customers who share their stories and connections to their word. One of her friends recently completed a half-marathon after months of training fueled by her "kulia/strive" pendant. After finishing the race, he sent her a photograph of his race medal hanging with his pendant.
"I spent a lot of time choosing the right words that would be meaningful to people," said McCarthy. "There are so many people going through cancer or facing adversity, but there are little trials as well. Sometimes when I’m stuck in traffic, I look down at my bracelet and it says ‘harmony,’ and it reminds me to stop getting agitated because there’s nothing I can do about it."
McCarthy said she never thought she’d go back to school after getting her law degree but went on to earn a master’s in nonprofit administration at the University of San Francisco to further her skills. She served as the Bridge of Books Foundation’s executive director until 2005, when she became an independent consultant and fundraiser for nonprofits, which she continues to do.
"I love nonprofit work with community organizations, where you can have a big impact, and I thought the jewelry line would be a good tie-in with our mission."
For instance, 100 percent of sales of Nalukai’s $155 pink enamel signature pendant design goes to the Breast Cancer Research Fund.
Small circular pendants start at $185. Dog tag pendants are $285, cufflinks are $250 and beaded charm bracelets are about $275.
Each of the pieces is handcrafted with semiprecious gemstones and rose or yellow gold-dipped sterling silver, and she went as far as designing the newspapery English and Old English fonts that are stamped into her jewelry.
She put less emphasis on the gemstones such as tiger’s eye, rose quartz and malachite, saying, "I chose beads that were pretty. It was all from a vanity standpoint, but now I have people telling me the meanings of the stones or asking questions like, ‘Which one helps with fertility?’ It’s an indication on how much faith people want to have because life can be tough and you’re either going along for the ride or taking some kind of control over it.
"I like the idea of a canoe weathering life’s storms. You might be going through something and come out the other side beat up. It may not be pretty, but you come out stronger, ready to go on another journey."
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The collection is available at Ginger & Koi boutique in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii island, Gregore’s in Waimea on Kauai and at nalukaicollection.com. The jewelry will also be featured during a trunk show Dec. 17 at Hualalai Four Seasons Resort in Kailua-Kona.
