Boh Runga and Anika Moa have collaborated on a beautiful new locket. Images supplied.
Boh Runga has collaborated with long-time friend Anika Moa on her first jewellery ‘Bohlaboration’, a beautiful locket called Marigold that is in stores and online now. It’s named after Anika’s daughter, Marigold, and is available in a detailed sterling silver design. For the duo the Marigold locket is more than simply a piece of jewellery – it is a symbol of the stories that go with a cherished bond and is meant to be a treasured gift.
While it was originally going to be released in time for Mother’s Day, Boh and Anika thought the timing was right to release it now at the end of what has been a hard year for so many.
“I think that with the way the world is now with limitations on travelling overseas, carrying reminders of those you care about becomes even more poignant,” says Boh.
Anika agrees, “Now it is more powerful than ever. It feels like we have slowed down as a community and as people. And it’s times like these you do treasure loved ones. This year has taught me that whānau is what’s truly valuable in life and to have a locket that you can pass down to your son or daughter is just so beautiful.”
The idea for the necklace came from Anika’s request to Boh for a keepsake necklace to store a lock of her pēpi Marigold’s hair as has long been a tradition for little ones.
“When someone receives the Marigold locket I want them to feel that aroha that I feel whenever I hold my daughter in my arms. You know, the bond between mother and child and the love that it represents,” adds Anika.
The creation of the locket has been a special process full of nostalgia for Boh and Anika who have been friends and collaborators for over 15 years. They’re each big fans of the other and were delighted to share the journey of this sweet collaboration together.
The duo’s friendship started with Boh wearing wings and Anika barefoot on stage. Both originally from Christchurch, they went on to share many performances, tours and an album.
“I knew her when she was “Youthful, long ago,” says Boh. “We’ve done a lot of gigs together. Me with shoes on, her without.”
“I was Boh’s support act for my second ever tour of New Zealand and she took me under her wings, like literally she was wearing wings and we just had the best time. “I so look up to her. She ma girl,” says Anika.
While Boh Runga has created some truly memorable pieces since launching her jewellery range in 2007, this new design is particularly special.
“For the first Marigold design I wanted to have more of a contemporary feel to the locket, hence the squared off shape and the stylized floral motif. It’s a little bit traditional and a little bit modern,” says Boh. She loves the idea of keeping a photo or a memento of a loved one on you as a sentimental tribute.
“It’s not like taking pic after pic and storing them on your phone to share on Instagram or Facebook. This is something tactile and personal that’s resting on your skin and is close to you. Our whakapapa and our stories are precious, passed down from generation to generation. When distance and time keep us apart, mementos can carry our stories and keep those that are special to us close.”
Images supplied.