Bedazzlers

The Dizon jewelers have always celebrated their anniversaries with intimate functions, with relatives and customers-who-became-close-friends joining in the festivities. This year was a bit different. Not only did they celebrate their 33rd anniversary, it was also a tribute to their mother, the late Jul Dizon, whose birthday coincided with the event: “We want her to be proud of us as much as we are proud of her. She is continuously in our thoughts and always, our biggest inspiration.”


Held at the Rigodon Ballroom of the Peninsula Manila, guests were treated to an afternoon of cocktail of delicious bites. A fashion show served as the platform, where the sisters (Janina Dizon Hoschka, Candy, Ginny and Lucille Dizon) presented their latest creations that complemented the designs of fashion designers Dennis Lustico and James Reyes.

Janina Dizon

Fashionable guests and jewelry connoisseurs got first dibs on the sparkling accessories that were revealed after the fashion show. Janina Dizon Hoschka presented her Cross, Kaleidoscope and homme collections: “The Cross collection was a theme exhibit at a recent Celestina event, while the Kaleidoscope is my newest collection—brilliant stimulating gems that hit all colors of the spectrum.” Hoschka shares with us a few of her most sparkling designs:


Ria Bolivar wears a low V-neckline dress by Dennis Lustico, giving highlight to the operal length white sapphire tennis necklace with two hanging brooches from the Cross collection. She also wears dangling earrings made of white sapphires and spessartite garnets and a bangle made of amethysts, tsavorites and white sapphires. Her ring is made of an emerald cut smoky topaz and multi coloured white sapphires. All in silver.

Chelsea Robato, in a nude-colored dress by Dennis Lustico, wears an en suite of African rubies with white and brown zircon. Her bangles consist of rubies, sapphires, aquamarines and green emeralds. All in silver.

Maryann Umali in a low-key black number by James Reyes, has a melange of moonstones, white topaz, citrines, amethysts, quartz and peridot for her necklace and earrings from the Kaleidoscope collection. On her right wrist, is bangle made of black shagreen with a rutilated quartz and white sapphires, on the left are green quartz with diamonds. Her rings consist of a rutilated quartz with white sapphires and yellow quartz with white sapphires and tsavorites. All in silver.

Alex Vergara wears my JANINA homme necklace of white and yellow sapphires on a black leather cord. His wrists have an assortment of shagreen cuffs. His belt has a longevity slider looped in (I would like to say that this was my idea, but it really was the genius thinking of Robby Carmona) He wears the drusy agate ring with a cognac diamond. All in silver.

*Janina for Jul Dizon is located at the Mezzanine Level
The Peninsula Manila
Corner of Ayala and Makati Avenues,
1226 Makati City, Metro Manila,
Philippines. Telephone numbers: +632-8450140 and +632-8450139

Bling Rewards

You know you’ve come of age when you’re wishing for something more than just the trendiest clothes and the latest IT bag and shoes. Years of hard work have led us to a deeper appreciation of the finer things in life, which usually means rewarding yourself with precious jewelry, for one.

But before you start buying gems from your neighborhood “alahera,” we recommend you head over to trusted establishments such as Karat World for your jewelry fix. With its year-long campaign “Because we deserve it,” along with its chosen celebrity endorser Maricar Reyes, Karat World definitely knows who the 21st century woman is—a multi-faceted lady who knows and stays true to who she is.

Maricar Reyes represents the woman of today, taking in patients at her clinic in Pasig and shooting for her new projects as well: “Medicine has always been a priority, but I try and devote my time to where it is needed the most at the moment,” she explains. “I love both of my occupations, so I hope to expand my clinic in the future while aiming for more challenging roles in show business.” Not only that, she’s a triathlete and model, too!

Women like Reyes truly deserve more, and jewelry is usually tops on our list of must-haves. So if you’re a neophyte who’s a bit tight on the budget, we suggest you check out the diamond illusion rings that are perfect for ladies who have just discovered their new-found love for sparklies. Semi-precious and precious gems are also available in classic and modern styles for those who love color and variety.

Affordable Jewelry

Got this press kit last week, and they make for great gifts for those who are a bit tight on the budget— Student-friendly prices :D

Endless Silver

“All that glitters is not gold.” Silver does too! In fact, among precious metals, sterling silver has the most brilliant sheen.

This valentine’s day, it’s truly romantic to wine and dine with your loved one, or send her a dozen roses, but wouldn’t it be better to gift her with something that will last longer than a day?

Endless Silver , finely crafted in Italy with designs that can be worn with both casual or dressy get-ups, is a collection of jewelry that can perk up your lady love on Valentine’s Day.

Very affordable, with prices ranging from Php 600- Php1400 for earrings, and Php1600-Php2700 for the bracelets, the man in your life will not really mind giving it to cap a fine dinner and/or tucked into a bunch of flowers for a more meaningful and memorable celebration.

All Endless Silver are made of sterling silver, meaning its silver content is 92.5%. The tri-color pieces are are plated in pink gold and/or yellow gold.

To keep the brilliant sheen of Endless Silver jewelry, “Clean with the use of a polishing cloth sprinkled with a fair amount of dry baking powder ,” advises Goldenhills owner, Antonio ‘Boy’ Atienza.

* A wide range of Endless Silver is available exclusively at Goldenhills Jewelry stores: Greenhills Shopping Center, SM City Clark, SM City Pampanga, SM Mega Mall, The Block SM City North Edsa, Robinsons Galleria and Robinsons Manila. Authorized distributors include Goldenas Jewelry - Robinsons Galleria and Things at Glorietta 1.

Onyx Takes The Lead

Just had to share what I wrote in my column last weekend on one of our favorite jewellers:

Not too long ago, while having afternoon tea with my mom at EDSA Shangri-la Hotel, we decided to check out the shops and stumbled upon JMA Jewelry Center. Their detachable drop earrings are what caught our eyes, those being both our first purchases from the shop, and have become one of my favorites to date.

Frequent visits led us to an introduction with the lady behind JMA Jewelry Center—doe-eyed and petite Jesusa “Suzette” M. Ayson, a third generation jeweler who’s roots are from Bacolor, Pampanga. “I started helping out my mom when I was 13 years old. That's over 34 years in the business. I was taught, along the way, how to detect artificial and real stones and how to grade diamonds and colored stones. The eye is still the best tool in assessing jewelries. What was not taught in school, you learn from the masters in the business like the gemologist you deal with and the master goldsmith you work with. Some of the tricks of the trade are acquired by hands-on experience,” she shares.

For her latest collection, onyx took the spotlight—a refreshing choice among the sea of translucent and opaque colored pieces: “Black has always been my favorite color, because of its elegant effect especially when it is set as a background for diamonds and other bright stones. Onyx is a material that is easy to find and most cutters have mastered the technique of cutting this stone.”

Mounted in 18k white, yellow, and rose gold, this collection of baubles is mixed with diamonds, amethyst, corals and other gemstones for a modern yet feminine appeal. Suzette adds, “The value of gold and precious stones have escalated over the years, which prompted designers and manufacturers to think of materials that can limit the use of these precious materials without compromising value for money and style. The onyx collection is giving a twist on a likewise predictable accessory one would normally use everyday or an event.”

Rose gold is a refreshing color choice for this black and white piece.

Amethyst keeps this pair feminine.

You can take out the citrine and quartz drops and wear the studs alone—very versatile!

Paired with corals, this diamond-and-onyx number is a standout.

Turquoise is here to stay. These look great on your favorite jeans and shirt ensemble.

* For appointments, call 634-7034, 636-5827.

What I'm Lusting For

Late last year, my mom and I dropped by JMA at Shangri-la EDSA hotel. They're one of our fave shops; we love their modern and feminine pieces. I'm not sure if they still have these below, but I just had to share them with you.

I know it's not a nice shot, but this is a pair of goldfish-shaped danglers.

Aren't they adorable? Priced at about P15k, I think. Not bad right?

These are the other earrings that my mom and I tried on. Sigh!

And my goodness—the stingray bangles are priced around P20k up! Affordable, aren't they? :)

And the brooches are to die for :o

DROOL! Will post some more tomorrow :)

Pretty Little Things

Can you guess where I went last Wednesday? :)

The scrumptious food was just a plus...

Yummy desserts were served inside the function room, too!

And no, it's not a sleepover pajama party :P

My mom and I got an invite from Jul B. Dizon. I find the bangle on the left cute! Don't you think so? :)

The event was a celebration of the jewelry brand's anniversary, along with the launch of a collaboration between them and Lucy Torres-Gomez. See that ring on the bottom left? It's part of Lucy's (wow, first name basis, haha) collection.

The event started promptly at 3pm, but we arrived around 4. I was surprised to find out that Lucy and her hubby, Richard, stayed all throughout. Sorry, couldn't take a better shot. I was too shy to approach them.

Well, this lady wasn't hehe ;) I love Lucy's dress, her hair, her makeup... she's the epitome of everything sweet. But enough about the who's who... here are the gems I found:

Each display counter showcased works of the Dizon sisters. This one showed their made-to-order jewelry.

Apologies as I do not remember who did what, but I'm loving the carved rose cocktail ring in this photo.

Mother dear and I spotted these quirky earrings right away.

This one is quite funky, too!

This display was the first thing we saw upon entering. We kept going back to this collection. Coral seem to be our stone-du-jour for the day ;)

Women were lining up, as they waited for their turn to try on the pieces. Unahan talaga! I couldn't take photos of every counter; there were just too many ladies checking out the goods. But for sure, there's definitely at least one item that will be to your liking. How could anyone resist these pretty gems?

Dizon accepts repeat orders, and some of them might still be on display in their showrooms. Visit them at The Peninsula Hotel Manila and EDSA Shangri-la Hotel Manila. You can also visit their website at http://www.juldizon.com