The Order was awarded in four grades with an additional superior class:[1] The Knights Grand Cross with Collar was only given for head of states.

Number of awards in the history of the Order: Recipients of the Order who were residents in the Hawaiian islands received a yearly salary depending upon their grade: $150 for the Knights Grand Cross, $125 for the Grand Officer Star, $100 for the Commander Cross and $50 for the Knight.

Members absent from the annual meeting and without a written message stating as such without a valid reason, were penalized $20.

The badge of the order is a Maltese cross in gold or silver with Prussian blue and white enamel, surmounted by a Hawaiian crown.

The arms of the cross have a border strip of white enamel, the center being blue - separated by a thin band of gold or silver.

On a white strip, the inscription KALAKAUA FEBRUARY 12 1874 circles a kāhili (feathered standard of royalty) on a background of blue.