Design of the Times

In good times and bad, people want to look and feel good. The difference between the two is how they do it. For instance, in a booming economy, people wear their diamond jewelry without shame or guilt. But after the economic crunch which started in 1997, subtlety became the keyword in accessorizing.

Now that the economy is again on the brink of collapse – or at least that’s how it feels to many of us – colored gemstones are so in you wonder why you never gave them a second look before.

"Now is not the time to flaunt," says jewelry designer Benjamin Luza Bautista. The family-owned De Capricho Jewellers at the second floor of the Shangri-La Hotel Makati, Makati Avenue side, offers the usual fine jewelry pieces in diamond, pearls and other gemstones. These days, however, colored gemstones are the hip, in thing, especially for the younger market – women in their late twenties to forties.

Benjo cites several reasons for this popularity. One is the fashion trend towards color and pattern. "Women are no longer into basic black. Before, in Europe, you wouldn’t be caught dead in anything but black or gray in winter. That’s not the case anymore. You can be in a Hawaiian shirt in the middle of Manhattan and still be cool. We’re into bright colors and not just the basic colors." For gemstones, the palette is as colorful as a rainbow gone berserk: We’re talking about 21 shades of white, four shades of emerald green, seven shades of tourmaline green, and many, many more.

Another reason is the trend towards casual dressing. "People get loads of invitations with the dress code ‘smart casual’ or ‘smart elegant,’ which does not call for black anymore. They dress easier now, there are no limitations. When you go to an opening, you don’t know who’s going to be in a jacket or jeans. Not like before when everybody came in black tie."

The third reason is that fashion is now more free. Gone are the days when you could not mix blue and brown, "now you have fabrics with a melange of blue and brown."

The fourth reason has to do with globalization, the oneness of people. "Cultures change. Before, if you saw someone in a sari, it would be an Indian. Now blondes are in saris and cheongsams."

Benjo adds enthusiastically, "Now that fashion is freer, it’s a great time to design jewelry."

If you’re wondering if jewelry design follows fashion trend, the answer is a big yes. "Whether you like it or not, it has to follow, just the way interior design is influenced by fashion. Today, anything goes with jewelry, you can put all colors together."

Still, jewelry cannot be "dated." Their life should be endless because these are pieces of value both in terms of money and emotional attachment. "Every piece of jewelry should be timeless because this is passed down from one generation to the other. This is not a shirt that you can throw away when you’ve worn it out."

De Capricho has new lines in colored gemstones ranging from chokers to earrings to bracelets. Diamonds and pearls are still the top choices for women who can afford them (the designs for these also tend to be simpler now) but for young women on a budget who want to wear jewelry at work and at play, colored gemstones are the better alternative to synthetic or imitation diamonds. As Benjo would say, even if you fool the experts with your faux diamond, you still know it’s not the real McCoy.

"You cannot resell synthetic jewelry. Colored gemstones, on the other hand, are unearthed from the ground and you can resell them. Besides, they say that being earth stones, they are supposed to give you energy."

The shop’s gemstones are sourced from South America, South Africa and Asia. In Asia, countries rich in rubies are Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, Nepal and Laos. South America also has rubies. South Africa, aside from diamonds, has tanzanites whose shades of blue are just tantalizing.

De Capricho specializes in fine jewelry, so even when you have all these colored gemstones, the designs are still timeless and, well, you still do need to save up for them. "It’s still fine jewelry, but the colors and lines are simpler compared to how it was when the designs were royal."

Colored gemstones include emerald, ruby, sapphire, tanzanite, citrine, amethyst, peridot, tourmaline and topaz. With these choices in gemstones, Benjo Bautista, who has won in DeBeers’ jewelry design contest four times, is practically inspired to create one-of-a-kind pieces. "I get inspired by chokers, earrings and bangles. A choker is the first thing a person sees."

Nothing inspires him more than working with diamonds, of course. Next comes sapphire "not as a single piece but put together – all shades of sapphire, from indigo to violet, purple, green, pink and yellow."

Benjo reminds us of the rule of thumb in wearing jewelry: "Jewelry should not overwhelm the person, it should just complement or complete the look."

Women should wear just one or two pieces at a time. Benjo suggests a pair of earrings and a choker. "What I do not like most is when jewelry pieces are put one on top of the other. If you’re wearing too much in different colors and shapes just to get the message across that you can afford it – that’s in very bad taste. Wear one at a time, let people appreciate it. There should be some wanting, it should be subdued, medyo bitin."

For young ladies who want to start their jewelry collection, Benjo suggests to get earrings as their first piece – small, dangling earrings. "Women in their late twenties are already working, so they shouldn’t wear a lot of pieces to the office because they don’t want to be more dressed up than their bosses. In your thirties, you can wear brooches with your day suit. They’re definitely in."

One woman wore a cabbage flower accessory on her dress and put one of Benjo’s insect brooches in it. "That’s what I call innovative, smart dressing," he says. "See, how you express your individuality is very important."

A woman’s individuality also plays an important role in designing, he says. For instance, Cabalen president Maritel Nievera bought from Benjo a choker in white gold with a star pendant. "His pieces are very detailed, and you can see from his work that he loves his craft," she says. Artist Yola Perez Johnson, also a client of Benjo’s, says, "I don’t know much about gemstones. The only important thing for me is the art. With Benjo’s work, you can see the sincerity in his design."

So what kind of colored gemstones should we choose? Benjo says that these days, anything goes. Sapphire has all the shades of blue, yellow – from very bright canary to pale yellow – pink, green and purple. Most of his pieces are sapphire in different colors, amethyst and peridot.

Speaking of amethyst, remember the days when the gemstone was considered pang-matanda? Well, that’s not the case anymore. When paired with pink and yellow, it becomes very hip.

For the chain, Benjo uses all types of gold and white gold, Italian gold, rubber, silk in black, brown and red. "Sometimes, even older clients can get away with wearing chokers with rubber."

The in styles now are the Y-shaped chokers, narrow bracelets and bangles.

Colored gemstones also make for very good gifts. Benjo relates that he has a lot of male clients who buy for their wives and girlfriends, too. One man bought his wife jewelry and put the box inside a designer handbag he was giving for her birthday. The wife thought the gift was only the bag.Thank God she looked inside the bag.

Another woman stopped and smelled the roses. Voila, inside was the most gorgeous ring.