From rocks to riches
Lilibeth Fernandez Campos is not only beautiful to look at, her jewelry line is just as eye-catching. She started designing her own jewelry 12 years ago for her personal use, but the demand from her friends and the ladies she would meet in various social functions was so great that she started selling the items. With big, bold cuff bracelets and chunky jewelry in vogue, the Elizabeth C collection is perfect for those who want the real thing but don’t want to break the bank, with prices ranging from P2,000 to P50,000.
Lilibeth sources materials worldwide — from Philippine jade, which was given to her as raw rocks by a friend who owns a local Luzon mine, to those from European auctions and South Africa for the copper nuggets that she found when she was on a luxury tour with her husband Paqui Campos.
Working closely with a talented goldsmith, Lilibeth makes sure the designs are implemented based on precise drawings. These semi-precious stones include colorful amethysts, citrines, topazes, tourmalines, peridots, garnets, pearls, mounted on sterling silver gold-plated with 24k gold. With the price of gold soaring to a historical high, silver is the next best thing for her jewelry settings, making them still affordable yet precious.
Lilibeth loves to share her artistic talent. “I feel blessed that I’m doing something I love and really enjoy, which is creating beautiful pieces for women. My greatest reward is hearing stories regarding my jewelry and how the women were praised for the pieces, like how they were stopped in the streets of New York by total strangers wanting to purchase the piece and how most of them do not want to part with their pieces since they love what I have created.”
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Elizabeth C is at L Manila, Greenbelt 5, 729-9042; American Women’s Bazaar, World Trade Center. For appointments, call or SMS 0917-8911650, e-mail lilibethcamp@gmail.com
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For comments and ideas, e-mail jacinto.fa@gmail.com