Stringing her way to double happiness

Happiness according to Binky Ilusorio is time spent in her room, stringing beads and turning them into beautiful pieces that spell double happiness for her.

Double Happiness is Binky’s collection of one-of-a-kind, beaded neckpieces and bracelets made of semi-precious stones. "I call them Double Happiness because I am happiest when I am stringing my beads and hope that anyone who buys them shares the same feeling. That spells double happiness for them and me."

Binky’s fascination for beads started at the young age of ten. She recalls taking her grandmother’s necklaces apart and putting them together with her own designs. Soon she found herself dabbling in embroidery, patchwork bags and Christmas ornaments. "I really like working with my hands," she says. "It’s an exercise of creativity, and seeing how beautiful the final product has turned out gives me a sense of fulfillment."

Although she has tried her hand at other crafts, beads are Binky’s passion. And this passion finds expression in the exquisite pieces she produces–malachite, jade, rose quartz, amethyst, turquoise, mother-of-pearl and other gems gracefully come together to make sculptural pieces that are more works of art than they are fashion accessories.

Likewise, Binky’s pieces are like music–the natural textures and colors of the stones drift around one another like perfect notes in a symphony. And like beautiful melodies that never fail to catch people’s attention, Binky’s beads are starting to get noticed, and she is her own best model.

"People from work were actually the first ones to take notice. Soon they were asking me to make some pieces for them. I’ve already made a few bracelets and some necklaces. They wear them quite often so I guess they must really like them," Binky, who is Fashion and Beauty editor for Mega Magazine, says with justifiable pride.

It didn’t take long for her friends and colleagues from the fashion industry to take notice as well. "To get remarkable compliments from people with so much fashion sense and who have discriminating taste can be quite flattering," she admits. "Just recently, Rachy Cuna purchased a few pieces and even called me at home to tell me how beautiful they are, and that really means a lot."

Binky’s Double Happiness is so exceptional that a number of boutiques and specialty shops have asked her to supply them with special pieces. But a full-blown commercial venture is not possible–not yet, anyway. Double Happiness is a one-woman operation, and Binky does everything herself. She is such a stickler for quality that if she finishes working on one piece and doesn’t really like how it falls or sees a very minor error, she takes everything apart.

She also makes sure that no two pieces are the same, and there is good reason for this. "Wouldn’t it be irritating, even embarrassing, to have someone else in a room wearing the same thing you have on?"

This UP Clothing Technology graduate hasn’t met a bead she didn’t like. She can turn the most common and ordinary stones into wearable art. Show her a bead or stone, and visions start dancing in her head. The beads seem to tell her what they want to become.

"Sometimes it takes me forever to make something, although there are instances when I would just sit and stare at my beads for a while and know exactly what to do with them. Even when I purchase the components, there are times when I know right away what to do; some, however, just stay in my drawer, and I just think perhaps it’s not their time to ‘shine’ yet."

But there is no doubt that now is Binky’s time to shine. The response and compliments she has been getting have been so overwhelming; she never thought that her hobby would be a viable business someday.

And what makes all this possible? "I think it helps that I am in the fashion business. I am exposed to the latest styles and know what the trends are," Binky says.

However, she likes to think that Double Happiness pieces are timeless. "They are something that may be bequeathed, not because they are costly, but because the designs are unique and somehow eloquently express the wearer’s personality," she explains. "When I make something for anyone, I try to find out more about her and see what kinds of gems would suit her character. That makes my pieces one-of-a-kind."

Likewise, Binky recognizes her love for jewelry as something that has helped her design some of the pieces. "I love diamonds. Unfortunately, I can’t afford them. So I’d rather use my talent and creativity to create something just as beautiful," she relates. "That, plus the fact that I am really kikay." We both gave a loud chortle which must have reached the other room.

"Of course, it doesn’t hurt to earn some money along the way," she adds with more hearty laughter. Now that would more than double the happiness.

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Binky Ilusorio can be reached at (0917) 5331970 or email her at [email protected]