Multi-colored sapphire pave drop earrings with diamonds in yellow and white gold. Don't they look like Christmas tree ornaments? Ok, so maybe that's not too romantic an analogy but nonetheless they make for some versatile work to party earrings; the sapphire pave drop can be detached and you can use the white gold and diamond hoops separately.
Lots of weddings this time of the year hence the wedding related posts.
Wedding bands are traditionally plain round rings. Essentially circles symbolizing fidelity and unending love. For this project, the groom wanted to wear his wedding band on a chain later on, for what purpose I don't really know, but here I decided to put five large perforations across the shank. Looks quite industrial with the brushed metal surface. The holes will serve as the lasso to which the chain will be threaded later on. So I guess that solves the ring/pendant part. For the bride, she just wanted lots of circles. I was sent a sketch and translated the design into white gold, with diamonds scattered all around the band. It seemed like two completely disjointed concepts as I was sketching it out. But in the end they looked great together. And so do the couple.
Here's something sure to endure all trends. A friend of mine had some antique jewelry with old mine cut diamonds and wanted them redone. Wanting to enhance the exoticism of these stones I designed them in an updated Edwardian style; using a fleur-de-lis motif and millgraining technique (those bead like outlines on the metal). Articulated and sways freely on the ear. Surely doing something ultra-modern and angular wouldn't have done the diamonds any justice. Classic cut diamonds in a classic setting. Sometimes tradition is the best option.
I get asked certain questions over and over again. "Why don't you make anything for men?" being the one asked most.
Thing is, I do. But very few and far in between. If so its usually by commission. I'm not the type of person who wears a lot of accessories I suppose, hence my lack of motivation. Ironic, I know. If I were to wear jewelry, I'd want it to serve a particular function as well. Most typical that men wear are simple bracelets and necklaces (which I'm not into, and no function), watches (which I like but can't really go crazy spending on) and tie pins (which i think is coming back but, really now. I rarely wear ties.) Cuff links...now there's an idea. Not that I wear them on a daily basis but there's more opportunity to wear them. Technically all you need is a good shirt. And you know how these days you can wear a shirt with either sneakers or dress shoes. But I digress. To cut to the chase, in a moment of inspiration, I came up with these microchip inspired links. One I made for the Futurism exhibit and one for myself. Came out really well. In pave of black diamonds on oxidized silver and textured yellow gold detail.
Then a friend buys it off me for his husband.....oh well. So much for attempts to wear jewelry.
The other pair's still in Firma Greenbelt 3, though.
For a friend's wedding, I reworked some heirloom diamonds into this great pair of earrings. I decided to have them rest over the entire bottom lobe of the ear and wrap them around a bit on the edges. Diamond crusted earlobes. Sure to have made a few double-takes.
October 23rd, 2009
*click on title to view original article.
I always believed that good things always come in threes. I love the text invites I get from Chito Vijandre and Ricky Toledo, the dynamic duo behind one of the most chic stores in town! The text message invite is always personal and it always has a quirky anecdote in the end, so having received the invite instantly makes you want to go. FIRMA has always been the home of the best fashion accessories in the land! This is where Bea Valdes started her now super famous brand.
The evening was the unveiling of 3 of FIRMA’s most talented Jewelry designers: Kristine Dee, Michelline Syjuco and Paul Syjuco. It was so inspiring just to see their work. I am certain that it was a major success!
The FIRMA boys! I was digging their Holiday colors! Each time I bump into them, it's like they ooze happiness!
I went with my girls Kitty Jacinto and Malu Gamboa. Here they are flanking Ricky.
This is a closeup of Daphne Osena's earring from Kristine Dee. Daphne was telling me that Kristine named the collection after her daughters, that is so sweet!
The effervescent Lulu Tan-Gan! November 10 is her GALA and I cannot wait to see what she going to come up with. She is like the Dianne Von Furstenburg of the Philippines!
Loving this pendant. I think it is by Paul Syjuco. I am not sure now.
This dramatic ring is by Michelline Syjuco. It's like from another planet! LOL!
Cuffs from Michelline. They are so beautiful!
Watch out for this one, I feel she is about to really hit it big!
Michelline's neck piece! It's like wearable art!
I have been hearing about this young designer a lot but I have never seen his work. Happy that I got to finally see it.
The style is very geometric and serene. There is this quiet energy with his designs. I like the compositions as its very well thought of.
Kristine Dee's collection was extremely romantic. I zeroed in on the coral roses that really caught my eye.
This is Kristine Dee. I love what she is wearing, it is so romantic and just dreamy!
This is from Michelline Syjuco. It's a major pendant! I can stare at the stone for hours and not get bored.
This is Michelline Syjuco! I adored her look that evening. It's like one of those Japanese Goth animation characters
Her ring was so cool!
Paul and Michelline Syjuco. I am sure they are related but I forgot to ask them how?HUGS!
RAJO!
All tomorrow's jewelry (The Philippine Star)
(click title to go to Philippine Star website)
Updated October 14, 2009 12:00 AM MANILA, Philippines -
Jewelry artists Kristine Dee, Michelline Syjuco and Paul Syjuco are launching their collections of inspired pieces in the show “Triad: An Approach to Futurism,” which opens on Oct. 22 at Firma in Greenbelt 3. The show is presented in cooperation with Ayala Malls. Futurism comes naturally to these forward thinkers who always come up with progressive design but with a deep-seated respect for the past. Futurism for them is also a concern for the common good by doing things a little better along the way. And most importantly, it’s creating new things with imagination and creativity. No wonder then that for the opening reception, they even embarked on a creative collaboration with Ciçou Restaurant chef Cyrille Soenen who will create special desserts inspired by the artists’ collections.
The different design eras and paradigms expressed the future in different ways. The early Twenties to Forties envisioned a future rife with airplanes and flight as well as abstraction. Mid-century futurism contained visions of monorails and superhighways. There seemed to be a fixation on organic alien life forms, lasers, UFOs and space exploration in the Sixties and Seventies as well as parallel universes of mythical beings and objects in the Eighties. However, these “Retro-futurist” pegs aren’t exactly what the artists wanted to pay tribute to. It is the constant attempt to experiment, the pushing of the mind to create concepts of external objects not present to the senses. And while we all know that most concepts of the past didn’t quite make the cut, being relegated to archives at best, it is the spirit of creativity and resourcefulness that is held high. After all, a lot of our perceived realities today were long ago only considered fantasies.
For information, call Firma at 757-4009 telefax 757-4010, or e-mail firma2@vasia.com. Firma is at the ground floor of Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City.
Kristine Dee: Factoring in flux and finesse
The fantasies of industrial designer and jewelry artist Kristine Dee are images of a parallel universe from films like Star Wars Episode 2 and Aeon Flux, which influenced her latest body of work. Kristine explains, “Combining these with the future’s longing for peace and serenity, I am able to come up with pieces that are current, yet timeless in appeal. They allow the viewer to experience a feeling of lightness.” Kristine, who obtained her master’s degree in industrial design from The Pratt Institute in New York and studied Scandinavian furniture design at the Denmark Design School in Copenhagen, has had her works exhibited at the famed Manhattan Center in New York and at the Salone International Del Mobile International Furniture Fair in Milan. Her designs for the New York-based design consultancy firm Prime Studio have been used by, among others, Banana Republic, Polder, M&M’s, and The MoMa Store.
Michelline Syjuco: Future sense
Probably one of the most daring and avant-garde among today’s crop of jewelry designers, Michelline Syjuco considers her quirky work to be “wearable sculptures.” This comes as no surprise because she learned to sculpt at an early age and was exposed to the art world, thanks to her parents, famed experimentalists Cesare and Jean Marie Syjuco. Michelline’s unusual choice of materials and textures have been known to include cultivated rust, gnarly pearls, pointed steel studs, crushed tin cans, deep acetylene burns, bullet shells, and strange rocks from outer space. Definitely bordering on the blasphemous and edgy, Michelline’s take on futurism is more Flash Gordon than George Lucas, more sword and sorcery than outer space. “This is the staple I grew up with. Mad Max and Beastmaster were very important to me,” she says. Still, Michelline’s future looks auspicious. Her first solo exhibition “Armadillon” was a short-listed finalist in this year’s Ateneo Art Awards — a first for local jewelry design. “The jewelry I make is one of a kind. It’s a piece of my brain,” she explains. “I suppose it’s a little more expensive because of that.”
Paul Syjuco: Accessories for the day after
Paul Syjuco was exposed at an early age to jewelry designing through his family’s business. He is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America, and has received training in pearl grading. He contributes articles on gem and jewelry matters to some of Manila’s most-widely circulated fashion magazines, and occasionally holds lectures and workshops on jewelry design. Paul’s current venture is Aum Jewels, a concept jewelry store located in TriNoma. Paul took the essence of futurism to create endless options and possibilities. He says, “I pegged period science fiction films like Metropolis and War of the Worlds as well as recent films like Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow for that elegant art deco feel. I also looked into space travel and deep space elements like orbits and nebulae, incorporating some soul into it, interplaying some pieces with jade Buddha carvings. Some designs are based on computers and their internal components like motherboards, microchips and schematics.”
Late last year, Kristine Dee, Michelline Syjuco and I talked about putting a group exhibit and decided to work around the theme of futurism. I can't believe its been almost a year since that first meeting. The exhibit opening will be next week, October 22 at Firma Greenbelt 3, 6pm. I have to say I haven't designed an entire collection in a few years and I'm really excited about my pieces. I've seen previews of Michelline's and Kristine's and all the more I believe this is going to be a really interesting show in terms of Philippine jewelry design. There will be over 100 one-of-a-kind pieces altogether.
Our work centers on the following theme:
What is futurism?
Being forward thinkers, jewelry artists Michelline Syjuco, Kristine Dee and Paul Syjuco discussed the theme of futurism and came up with several concepts. For them it meant progress with a deep-seated respect for the past. It meant concern for the common good by doing things a little bit better along the way. It also meant, most importantly, creating new things with imagination and creativity.
The different design eras and paradigms expressed the future in different ways. The early twenties to forties envisioned the future rife with airplanes and flight as well as abstraction. Mid-century futurism contained visions of monorails and superhighways. There seemed to be a fixation with organic alien life forms, lasers, UFOs and space exploration in the sixties and seventies as well as parallel universes of mythical beings and objects in the eighties. However, these “Retro-futurist” pegs aren’t exactly what the artists pay tribute to. It is the constant attempt to experiment. It is the pushing of the mind to create concepts of external objects not present to the senses. And while we all know that most concepts of the past didn’t quite make the cut, being relegated to archives at best, it is the spirit of creativity and resourcefulness that is held high. After all, a lot of our perceived realities now were long ago only considered fantasies.
For portfolios and backgrounds on artists please check our individual sites:
In addition, Resturant Cicou's executive chef Cyrille Soenen will be preparing French desserts inspired by the jewelry pieces during the event.
Again, exhibit opening will be at 6pm, October 22, 2009 at Firma Greenbelt 3 and pieces will exclusively be displayed till Sunday, October 25. After which, only select pieces will remain in store.
Here's a sleek piece inspired by handcuffs. Why handcuffs? I don't know either. But it did turn out great so I'm happy. And I know the new owner's happy with it.
These are done in white gold with varied textures and yellow gold rivets. I also used some princess cut diamonds channel set in between the shanks. Looks quite architectural.
Given how popular white gold has been for the past decades, it's been quite exciting to be doing more and more yellow gold pieces at present. My latest project was this wide Romanesque hammered cuff with diamond accents; and earrings using the same motif. Yellow gold just has that certain rich warmth to it that you can't get from the other, sometimes antiseptic looking, white metals. Try visualizing these same pieces in white gold. Not quite the same effect, right?
