I want candy

With our current fixation on luxury, it seems that most of the fun has been sucked out of buying investment pieces. They’re “investments,” after all, and therefore have to be taken seriously.

Jewelry is foremost of these. Thanks to the considerable outlay, the general tone of the transaction is that the purchase must be timeless, trend-less, and appreciate instead of becoming vulnerable to moths — the fate facing most of the stuff in your closet.

And as we all know, trend-less does not equate with fashion. Is there precious jewelry out there that you can wear with impunity out on the streets, during the daytime, that stylish women can match to the fashionable outfits they concoct on a daily basis?

Yes, there is, and the name of the woman who designs them is Tamara Comolli.

German by birth (the Italian last name is courtesy of her American ex-husband), Comolli creates the most fun-filled, mouthwatering jewelry you’ll ever see. Her most playful designs remind you of candy, with their rainbow of colors and Jujyfruit shapes. Funnily enough, Comolli actually has a bracelet called Candy, dripping with handpicked pink tourmalines, rose quartz, mandarin garnets, citrines, rose morganite and carnelian. Other color stories have names like Chocolat, featuring cognac citrines and red tiger’s-eye; Cappuccino, mixing champagne and white diamonds; and Cinnamon, whose star piece is a Mikado Flamenco bracelet set with spicy russet stones.

“We follow fashion trends,” Comolli admits, “and very closely watch what contemporary women go for in fashion.” Being one herself, Comolli’s very much in tune with what an elegant woman wants: “She’s elegant sometimes, but that same elegant woman has casual moments when she just wants to lounge on a sofa or go on a cruise.”

Comolli designs for that woman, whether she’s as young as 14 or as ripe as 80. “We have little pendants at entry price points that are the perfect gift for younger women, though our core is 25 to 65,” she says. “It’s a wide range because jewelry is a very feminine thing and I don’t want to be put in a niche.”

Together with Alec Floyd, president of Tamara Comolli Fine Jewelry USA, Comolli was in Rustan’s Makati recently to open her eponymous boutique — or Rustan’s unique concept of a boutique, at any rate. Like their lifestyle outpost Gallerie, a Tamara Comolli window right next to Silvervault fronts — in addition to Comolli’s extensive collections — clothes and accessories you can mix and match with her jewelry, natch.

“We have a different spirit of fine jewelry and this is the reason we work with Rustan’s,” Comolli says. “Rustan’s is a big trendsetter for Asia and much more advanced than China because Hong Kong and Chinese people go for brands but they’re still very diamond-oriented.”

Comolli’s latest collection is called “Hippie Glam,” which, with its paisley-patterned ocean jasper and magenta-bordering-on-violet sugilite, is perfect for the bohemian-loving set. “Hippie glam is a more casual approach to fine jewelry,” notes Comolli. “I see the world changing a little bit, going away from intimidating jewelry. People really want to accessorize more by matching to the fashion; they want to have fun with the jewelry and travel with it.”

Comolli’s fondness for rare, unconventional stones never before used in the fine-jewelry industry is evident in Hippie Glam. “The natural feel of ocean jasper attracted me for the new collection,” she says. “It’s only found in Madagascar, in an area that’s quite adventurous. You can’t go by car, only by boat; you wait till the tide is low and the boat is sitting on the sand, then go out and dig it out and wait till the tide goes up again.”

You’ll also never find two of the same kind, and the same goes for sugilite, a stone that comes in different shades of purple. “It’s exactly what’s in fashion right now. It’s found in South Africa in the middle of the Kalahari desert, and it’s very rare, rarer than turquoise. When people see this bracelet, I can’t supply the demand. I can only make one a month.”

Despite the singularity of the stones, Hippie Glam still bears the Comolli signature of the drop shape, which to her signifies water. “I love the feel of the beach, holiday, swimming, and I created a brand out of this. That’s what’s missing in the industry: you have high-end jewelry and costume, but you don’t have fine jewelry with fun.”

What could account for her rule-breaking approach is that Comolli did not study gemology, goldsmithing or jewelry design, but economy and business. Her only tenuous connection to that world was a stint in university earning money through ramp modeling — “High-fashion runway,” Floyd hastens to add with a wink.

“I worked in a very dry field, banking and marketing,” Comolli laughs. “Gemstones were my hobby and passion, so my designs are different from anything you see. They come from pure imagination.”

Consequently you have two-faced jewelry with diamonds on one side and multi-colored sapphires on the other; stackable rings in a surprisingly comfortable drop shape, which lengthens the look of your fingers unlike basic round rings; and a Persian turquoise bracelet with gumball-sized stones that look as lickable as gobstoppers.

“In the Philippines I know women like to buy sets, but my idea of sets is not matchy-matchy,” Comolli admits. “I stay within one world of color, for example in a bracelet, pendant and a ring: that would be my idea of a set.” For women to express their individuality she prefers making conversation pieces, not intimidating ones, like the one-of-a-kind Glamour bangle she shows me with colored sapphires that slide between bands of white gold. There’s also an ultra-rare Burmese pink sapphire ring studded with pave diamonds — the cocktail ring of my dreams.

Though Comolli has gone global, with a stand-alone store in Moscow and distribution by prestigious department stores like Neiman Marcus and Harrods, “in Asia the Philippines is my biggest market,” Comolli reveals. “Because in Hong Kong I have a layout in Lane Crawford but it’s not as important as here with Rustan’s.”

Comolli and Floyd’s warmhearted accessibility ties in nicely with likeminded Pinoys; in particular the fashionable Filipinas who patronize Rustan’s. “I think their style is amazing!” gushes Comolli. “I love the way they dress and combine brands. And I love that they are so feminine. That’s why my jewelry would do so well here, because it’s in exactly the same spirit.”

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Tamara Comolli Fine Jewelry is exclusively available on the second level of Rustan’s Makati.