A CAD/CAM Retail Focus.
Featuring Philip Rickard: Honolulu, HI

Through the doors of the Philip Rickard Honolulu headquarters you’ll find a warm and inviting retail destination which not only displays a fabulous selection of original Hawaiian Heirloom jewelry, but also offers visitors an interesting perspective of Hawaiian history and culture in the adjacent jewelry heritage museum. The establishment, which also houses a large manufacturing facility, is staffed by over 40 jewelers, craftsmen, graphic artists and sales professionals, who design, manufacture and sell Hawaiian Heirloom jewelry to customers in Hawaii and across the globe.

Along with traditional methods of designing and manufacturing, modern CAD/CAM technology is creatively and effectively employed by Philip Rickard Honolulu in creating custom orders and the famous jewelry which links wearers to Hawaii’s rich past.

Lester Ralph Philip Rickard set off for Europe after high school, traveling through London and Paris, bound for the famous jewelry manufacturing centers in Italy. In the midst of the Venuto region are the comprising cities of Vicenza, Verona and Venice where he studied the historical transitions of jewelry, and was influenced by the renaissance period in Europe. Rickard continues to travel the world extensively for research, equipment and cutting edge jewelry procedures that he brings back to his Honolulu factory. Moving to Hawaii after a compelling vision in 1971, he worked construction jobs while saving to purchase equipment and outfit a workshop. At last, in 1986 he opened his first retail store in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. Today Philip Rickard Honolulu has six retail stores in the Hawaiian Islands, web sites in English and Japanese and a manufacturing and customer service location in Tokyo.

In Rickard’s world travels, he observed 3D technology for the jewelry industry and considered how it would benefit his operation. After extensive research and consideration in 2004, Rickard made the commitment. He and select craftspeople from his operation began exploring Gemvision’s Matrix software in 2005 and then took a Matrix one-week class at the Gemvision training headquarters in Davenport, Iowa. The staff returned for additional CAD/CAM training in February of 2006 and quickly incorporated the new programs into their custom design and manufacturing process. Rickard’s staff proudly shows a variety of unique pieces all designed and created by using CAD/CAM. The result is a classic selection of jewelry that is unique to the store--styles not carried by other jewelers, giving Philip Rickard Honolulu the ability to capture the best margin in a highly competitive area.



Renown worldwide as the source for the design and manufacturing of Hawaiian Heirloom jewelry, Rickard was approached in 1987 to write the story behind the jewelry. The endeavor took six years and many trips to England to ‘uncover the true nature of the jewelry, its symbolism and origins’. In 1993, “A Lasting Remembrance” was published and brought to light the wealth of history behind the evolution of traditional Hawaiian Jewelry. Soon after, he created the jewelry heritage museum on site at the Honolulu store so that local and visitor, native and newcomer alike could partake of the story and perhaps feel more a part of the spirit of Aloha that pervades the islands.

The plumeria flower and diamond ring is shown here as a Matrix render and as a wax. All that’s left is casting, setting and finishing.

With new designs, modified designs and regular sellers, the Rickard bench staff keeps busy in this large manufacturing space which can be viewed by customers browsing jewelry in the store’s showroom.

When asked about a typical piece produced using CAD/CAM Rickard responds, “We use CAD/CAM for the entire range of our products from rings to pendants to bangles. We also retrofit existing pieces and produce ongoing customer custom work with this wonderful technology”

Liz Lerner, Rickard’s public relations “CAD/CAM has enabled our company to expand the horizons of traditional Hawaiian jewelry in the sense that pieces can now be mastered and recreated. Our designers are now able to concentrate on the passion of design and allow the technology to assist them in their creations. The end result is pieces that are impeccable in design.”

For more information about Philip Rickard Honolulu or the book “Hawaiian Heirloom Jewelry, visit www.philiprickardhonolulu.com.