Pearl of the Pacific
July 20, 2005 | 12:00am
Who would have thought farming could be so lucrative? Certainly not Fai Co, an architect-turned- jewelry designer who entered the business courtesy of his father who owned a jewelry company. "He owned a pearl farm," Fai shared wryly. After being encouraged to join the family business – which included jobs that ranged from cleaning equipment to sorting pearls – Fai quickly grew to love the family trade and soon flourished in an industry that welcomed his innovative designs.
The company that his father owned is Hoseki, a company that specializes in high-end handcrafted jewelry. World-class craftsmanship is the company’s strong point, working with only the finest materials and designs, qualities a select audience that included upscale clients and high-society types appreciates, as evinced in the throng of well-dressed women who made up the crowd at Hoseki’s "White Magic" fashion show.
To launch its latest jewelry collections, Hoseki created an intimate setting for friends and clients, with gilt-colored chairs in faux bamboo surrounding the petal-strewn runway so guests could view the jewelry up close. "We’ve been preparing for this for over a year," Fai said. With low lights and opera tunes blasting from loudspeakers, the mood was high drama as models in somber blue dresses slowly paraded the first collection by Knoi Esmane titled Urban Zen.
"Designing jewelry is a way to immortalize a concept of art," said Knoi, a diminutive figure who bashfully fielded compliments from Fai before the show. "He’s one of the best designers around," Fai said while Knoi shook his head and smiled. Knoi, who’s manager and designer for Hoseki, trained under Fai. "My collection is very linear since I’m partial to lines and angles." Inspired by Japanese origami and Zen sculpture, the line is distinctly imaginative. Using silver, gold, colored stones and pearls as his materials, Knoi’s pieces reflected an art deco sensibility, with bold strokes and shapes in flat singular colors creating a dynamic base offset by simple strands. Like his signature piece, a flat square-shaped piece of silver that was curved then decorated with rectangular cutouts and placed on a simple silver chain, the jewelry is audacious and young, fun and amusing. "His designs appeal to younger women," added Fai. "It’s casual," Knoi explained. "You can wear it to the office or for coffee afterwards. You don’t need an extravagant occasion to wear my jewelry."
Larger pieces, embellished with pearls and stones to create a three-dimensional palette of luxurious tones, were dressed down by a string of colored cord, an ode to Knoi’s target audience: A younger woman who enjoys the finer things in life but isn’t afraid to dress down. Something, it seems, that Knoi, himself, seems to emulate. "I don’t know why people say there are butterflies in their stomach," he said, on stage at the fashion show as he introduced his fellow designers, "when they speak in front of a large crowd because I feel like there are dragons chasing around in mine." The audience laughed agreeably at his playful banter. Clearly, Knoi speaks to a younger crowd that’s not afraid to laugh at themselves.
"I felt like doing something more linear," said Sharmaine Ng, a hotel and restaurant grad who also holds a graduate gemology degree from the Gemological Institute of America of her current collection. She is the only Filipino to win a gold award in the International South Sea Pearl Design Competition. This award-winning designer has a penchant for "big chunks of rocks," as she said, and draws inspiration from her travels around the world. With her collection entitled Geometric Sophistication, she utilizes shapes influenced by architectural monuments. "My travels have informed my designs," she explained. The Sydney Opera House and the Louvre, in particular, greatly influenced her collection. Drop earrings made up of a double arrangement of diamond-shaped silver pieces and pearls make full use of the Louvre’s triangular shape. Bangles with gold circular shapes dotted with large pearls resemble steel girders on mammoth bridges like the San Francisco bridge.
Copious use of embellishments, large pearls and chunky rocks are a staple in her designs, which make Sharmaine’s style perfect for older women willing to make a statement. Nothing in her designs works for wallflower-types or those afraid of kidnapping attempts. There’s nothing subtle in her boldly striking pieces that make anyone in love with jewels feel sublime under the aureate glow of her opulent creations.
Raised in a family of pearl traders, Fai Co’s ability to work with large unwieldy elements and combine them to create fluid works of art makes him one of the most successful jewelers in Manila. After three consecutive wins in the International South Sea Pearl Design Competition and a current placement in an international traveling exhibit, also titled "White Magic," which includes renowned designers like David Yurman and Stephen Webster, Fai is eager to debut his Eden collection, sophisticated shapes cast in gold and ornamented with diamonds and colored stones.
Forged from a love of nature, Fai’s pieces directly represented lush garden-like imagery. Blooming flowers and green leaves all made appearances in the collection. "I like color," he said. "It brings out the essence of the design." In Fai’s case, he brings a light luminous touch that transforms clichéd images into ethereal playful jewelry, a testament to his talent as a designer. "I was trained as an architect, but ever since I was a small I’ve been designing for my father’s business," he said shrugging. Elegant cascading earrings featuring flower and leaf stone-encrusted shapes interchanged with pearls fell daintily from the ears of the models. "I design for the sophisticated woman," Fai explained matter-of-factly. "Younger people can certainly wear my jewelry, but it takes a certain kind of woman, someone who is sure of herself and her style, to wear it without looking older."
The three designers came together for the final collection dubbed The New Baroque. Bringing together eastern and Mediterranean influences, the collection features layers of pearls strung together to form elaborate chokers. Bracelets become conversation pieces with the collection’s eclectic layers and embellishments. Bridging the gap between different ethnicities, the trio’s stylistic design techniques come together to create unique sets that are so very current yet will probably become a classic.
"This whole show is an experiment," Fai explained before the collection debuted. "We hope to get our names out there and to receive a favorable response from the public." With pieces that can complement any woman, whether a CEO or student, Hoseki won’t have any problems seeking new customers. And from the looks of the women at the fashion show, it seems like even old customers will be coming back for more. And with jewelry designs so unsparingly elegant, whoever wears this stuff is sure to stand out from the crowd – which isn’t a problem for Fai. "Women today are braver and more adventurous. They want to be noticed, to be the center of attention." That won’t be a problem for any of Hoseki’s clients either.
The company that his father owned is Hoseki, a company that specializes in high-end handcrafted jewelry. World-class craftsmanship is the company’s strong point, working with only the finest materials and designs, qualities a select audience that included upscale clients and high-society types appreciates, as evinced in the throng of well-dressed women who made up the crowd at Hoseki’s "White Magic" fashion show.
To launch its latest jewelry collections, Hoseki created an intimate setting for friends and clients, with gilt-colored chairs in faux bamboo surrounding the petal-strewn runway so guests could view the jewelry up close. "We’ve been preparing for this for over a year," Fai said. With low lights and opera tunes blasting from loudspeakers, the mood was high drama as models in somber blue dresses slowly paraded the first collection by Knoi Esmane titled Urban Zen.
Larger pieces, embellished with pearls and stones to create a three-dimensional palette of luxurious tones, were dressed down by a string of colored cord, an ode to Knoi’s target audience: A younger woman who enjoys the finer things in life but isn’t afraid to dress down. Something, it seems, that Knoi, himself, seems to emulate. "I don’t know why people say there are butterflies in their stomach," he said, on stage at the fashion show as he introduced his fellow designers, "when they speak in front of a large crowd because I feel like there are dragons chasing around in mine." The audience laughed agreeably at his playful banter. Clearly, Knoi speaks to a younger crowd that’s not afraid to laugh at themselves.
Copious use of embellishments, large pearls and chunky rocks are a staple in her designs, which make Sharmaine’s style perfect for older women willing to make a statement. Nothing in her designs works for wallflower-types or those afraid of kidnapping attempts. There’s nothing subtle in her boldly striking pieces that make anyone in love with jewels feel sublime under the aureate glow of her opulent creations.
Forged from a love of nature, Fai’s pieces directly represented lush garden-like imagery. Blooming flowers and green leaves all made appearances in the collection. "I like color," he said. "It brings out the essence of the design." In Fai’s case, he brings a light luminous touch that transforms clichéd images into ethereal playful jewelry, a testament to his talent as a designer. "I was trained as an architect, but ever since I was a small I’ve been designing for my father’s business," he said shrugging. Elegant cascading earrings featuring flower and leaf stone-encrusted shapes interchanged with pearls fell daintily from the ears of the models. "I design for the sophisticated woman," Fai explained matter-of-factly. "Younger people can certainly wear my jewelry, but it takes a certain kind of woman, someone who is sure of herself and her style, to wear it without looking older."
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