A Roman's whimsical jewelry

Francesco Lops is no newcomer to the world of jewelry design, having honed his skills at the prestigious Academy of Fashion and Costume in Rome, Italy, followed by an impressive 10-year stint at top brand Jewelmer. Yet despite this evident mastery of his craft, the highly respected designer continues to explore many different concepts and examine endless possibilities  embracing bold ideas and complex mechanics that engender extraordinary results.

This hard-won, uncompromising aesthetic has been carved out over a total of 18 years, in celebration of which Lops now introduces his own jewelry line. Named Unica, it’s an assortment of attention-grabbing rings and fancy pendants in whimsical, graphic shapes  such as lips, flowers and more  and in easy-to-wear styles. As brave and brilliant as the fascinating designer himself, the voluminous pieces are cast in sterling silver and feature playful combinations of handpicked, semi-precious colored stones in pretty tones of champagne, pink, lavender and lime.

The overall look and feel is definitely sexy, edgy glamour, which certainly suits the particular sort of woman Lops designs for. “A woman who would like to be noticed, admired, courted, and seduced,” the charming Italian expounds. “I love the seduction process!”

Along with his ideal customer, Lops also finds inspiration “from nature, people, furniture, fashion, as well as industrial design,” he says. In pursuit of his passion, he journeys all over the world: tending to his new business venture and design obligations for Jewelmer  to which he avers he will be eternally grateful  in Manila; attending and participating in trade shows, especially in Hong Kong and the Vicenza fair in Italy; and sourcing raw materials and expanding his ever-growing client base across the globe including Germany, United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America.

From all this traveling, he brings copious notes full of references and motifs back home to his studio and workshop in Rome. But this jet-setting lifestyle has hardly made him lose sight of what his customer wants and needs  determined to be known as a designer of not just sexy, but affordable jewelry, Lops has thoughtfully priced his premiere Unica collection at the excitingly accessible range of under P20,000.

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Unica is available at Firma in Greenbelt 3 and at the Hyatt Hotel.