July 28, 2012

I was woken last Monday morning to these fantastic tweets and instagrams by Kris Aquino (@aquinokristina). She posted photos of the necklace that Dr. Vicki Belo commissioned me to make.

Last month Dr. Belo asked me to create two necklaces, one for her and the other for Kris. Both were to have the images of Mother Mary, Jesus and St. Joseph (Holy Family). It wasn’t easy, as the medallions are quite rare. But everything seemed to fall into place.

Here is the necklace I made for Kris. Dr. Belo gave it to her last week. On Monday morning, Kris posted on her instagram: @aquinokristina Beautiful necklace w/ the Sacred Heart, Mother of Perpetual Help & St. Joseph from Dra Vicki Belo.

From Kris’ instagram. @aquinokristina Accompanying certification

That first night, Kris and I had a Twitter conversation. She told me she’d wear the necklace religiously “starting tomorrow until forever!”

There was so much I wanted to say, but I kept it short. I love it when the new owners of my pendants have this passionate reaction about them. Kris isn’t the first. But her tweets were something else!!

And she did wear the necklace on her show Kris TV everyday this week.

As expected when a Kris Aquino mentions your product, you get flooded with requests for prices and potential orders. Just to explain a bit, the medals are very rare and everything is crafted by hand. The price of gold is also a bit insane. Here’s what it looks like when I’m creating them.

This is the piece I made for Dr. Vicki. I thought Our Lady of Perpetual Help should have a frame of red roses around her. I used garnet. And the image of St. Joseph with baby Jesus has round cut peridot to play up the green on the stems of lilies. The leaf frame is inspired by antique Philippine jewellery like “tamburin” necklaces. Dr. Belo texted me, “What I love is that your pieces are so beautiful and intricate and with fine workmanship. It’s really a labor of love. When I wear them the energy is so good.”

For Kris, I gave her pink sapphires as she is known to love pink. And the amethyst is her birth stone. I try to give the pieces a little personal meaning to add to the iconography.

I don’t actively sell the medallions. I don’t have a price list. Every piece is custom-made.

It’s a very personal thing for me. Something I feel doesn’t need explanation. Those who love and appreciate the pieces know what they’re about – whether its the art, the craft, the devotion or whatever meaning they find. Vogue Italia asked me about them last December. If you haven’t watched the interview, click here.

These are gifts I wish I could share to everyone who wants them. But at the moment, I’m going to have to beg for your patience. I’m trying to figure out a system to address the interest. Thanks everyone!!

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