Nicole Whisenhunt: I want my designs to be heirloom pieces

As a young child, Nicole Whisenhunt was already drawn to jewelry and adored the pieces that were handed down by her mother and grandmother. She kept them in a jewelry box and in the evenings would oftentimes lay them out, not only to play with them but also to admire the intricacies and designs of her little collection. Loving art and creating came naturally and making crafts was her idea of fun during her childhood up to her teen years.

However, it was only after graduating from La Salle (Consular of Diplomatic Affairs), working in an advertising agency and taking culinary classes, that she realized making jewelry was her true passion, something she started seriously pursuing 11 years ago, immediately developing a following among the well-dressed set.

During the recent cocktail launch in Makati, it was interesting to see the various lines that Nicole has created for her hand-beaded embroidery collection inspired by the Art Deco era alongside the fine jewelry set in high-quality 18k gold and precious stones that were architecturally inspired by her recent European travels. These contemporary yet classically feminine pieces show her preference for structure, metal, architecture and geometric shapes.

I noticed that there were many ladies snapping up the collection during the one-day exhibit, and as we chatted briefly about her latest work, she enthused, “Through the years I’ve grown to appreciate other mediums of jewelry design outside of embroidery. I’ve always wanted to design fine jewelry. Initially, I thought it would be great to design such fine pieces that could last forever and even become heirloom pieces. I also wanted to make jewelry that could be worn daily, since my embroidery work is very opulent and romantic, being mostly statement or fantasy jewelry. This time, I felt that I wanted to create a line that focuses on contemporary jewelry, something a bit more modern and relevant to our time.”

All of the creations are handmade in the Philippines with local artisans trained in her workshop. Most of them start without any experience so they are taught for many months until they learn to hone their craft. For the fine jewelry line, experienced goldsmiths with many years of experience are handpicked to work on the creations.

* * *

For more information on Nicole Whisenhunt’s creations: visit studio@nicolewhisenhunt.com or www.nicolewhisenhunt.com, or call 818-9346.

For your comments and ideas, please email the author at: jacinto.fa@gmail.com.